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The report argues that the Mabola Protected Environment (MPE) was correctly proclaimed due to its high biodiversity and hydrological importance. It concludes that de-proclaiming the MPE to allow the Yzermyn coal mine would set a dangerous precedent, risk irreplaceable ecosystems, and contradict South Africa's climate change goals. While the mine's current underground plan has moderate short-term impacts, the report warns of long-term risks including acid mine decant and permanent loss of critical water-producing wetlands.

The Mpumalanga Protected Area Expansion Strategy sets a 20-year target to protect 6,320 km² of land by 2028, with a primary focus on the Grassland Biome. The document also contains a series of legal objections from the Centre for Environmental Rights and a coalition of NGOs against a proposed underground coal mine by Atha-Africa Ventures on the Yzermyn farm. Objectors argue the mine would cause irreparable harm to the Mabola Protected Environment, a strategic water source area, through aquifer dewatering and acid mine drainage, and that the application process violated the Spatial Planning and Land Use Management Act (SPLUMA).

The document details the transformation of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) and the South African Army following the 1994 democratic transition. It outlines a shift toward civil control, broad representivity, and a streamlined administrative structure called the Ministry of Defence (MoD), which is expected to save R300 million. The transformation involves integrating former non-statutory forces (NSF) and statutory forces, implementing affirmative action, and redefining the Army's mission from winning land battles to providing battle-ready troops for a Joint Operations Organisation. The papers highlight challenges such as budgetary restrictions, ageing equipment, and the need to combat racial prejudice within the ranks, while projecting a future role focused on territorial integrity and regional peacekeeping within the SADC and OAU frameworks.

This report, prepared by GCS Water and Environment (Pty) Ltd for the Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), reviews the Integrated Water Use License Application (IWULA) and the resulting license (IWUL) issued to Atha-Africa Ventures (Pty) Ltd for the proposed Yzermyn underground coal mine in Mpumalanga. GCS concludes that the specialist studies supporting the license are fundamentally flawed, containing significant data gaps and low-confidence modeling. The review highlights a high risk of irreversible damage to sensitive wetlands and groundwater resources, noting that the IWUL lacks sufficient conditions to mitigate these impacts and fails to authorize critical post-closure water treatment needs.

A letter from Atha-Africa Ventures (Pty) Ltd (AAV) to the Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) requesting that a notice of appeal by the Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) be dismissed. AAV argues that the original mining right granting letter, which the CER appealed, was superseded and rendered null and void by a second granting letter issued by the Minister of Mineral Resources.

This legal document, submitted by the Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) on behalf of a Coalition, challenges the rezoning of the Yzermyn 96 HT farm from agricultural to mining purposes. The document details the environmental sensitivity of the Wakkerstroom area, the potential for irreparable harm to water resources and biodiversity, and the limited socio-economic benefits of the proposed Atha coal mine compared to the risks to local subsistence farmers and the eco-tourism economy.

This document consists of a series of legal statements, permissions, and correspondence regarding the Yzermyn underground coal mine project in Mpumalanga, South Africa. It includes a formal permission from the Ministers of Environmental Affairs and Mineral Resources for Atha-Africa Ventures (Pty) Ltd to mine within the Mabola Protected Environment, a land use approval from the Dr Pixley ka Isaka Seme Local Municipality, and a detailed statement of grounds for appeal filed by a coalition of environmental organisations. The appeal argues that the project is 'fatally flawed' due to its potential for irreversible damage to critical biodiversity, wetlands, and water resources, and claims that the socio-economic benefits to local communities were overestimated.

This report presents the Environmental Management Framework (EMF) and Strategic Environmental Management Plan (SEMP) for the Dr Pixley Ka Isaka Seme Local Municipality (PKISLM) in Mpumalanga, South Africa. Developed by SRK Consulting and BKS, the document provides a spatial and descriptive analysis of the region's environmental attributes—including biodiversity, water resources, and geology—to guide sustainable land-use planning and decision-making. It integrates legal frameworks, stakeholder recommendations, and socio-economic data to establish environmental management zones that balance development with the conservation of critical ecosystems, particularly the grassland biome and various wetland systems.

This document consists of two primary components: an Environmental Management Framework (EMF) and a Spatial Development Framework (SDF) for the Dr Pixley Ka Isaka Seme Local Municipality (PKISLM). The EMF establishes seven Environmental Management Zones (EMZs) to guide sustainable development by identifying preferred and undesirable land uses based on environmental sensitivities. The SDF provides broad spatial policy guidelines to manage regional growth, balancing economic development—particularly in agriculture, trade, and community services—with the conservation of critical grasslands and wetlands.

The document consists of a series of legal and administrative records regarding a land-use change application for Portion 1 of the farm Yzermyn 96 HT in Mpumalanga, South Africa. The application, submitted by Atha-Africa Ventures (Pty) Ltd, sought to rezone the land from agricultural to 'special' use to allow for mining and related activities. The process involved multiple objections from environmental organizations and landowners, a dismissal by a local planning tribunal based on a lack of locus standi, a subsequent appeal, and a final approval by the Gert Sibande District Municipal Planning Tribunal on 29 April 2019.

This document consists of a series of field borehole logs (Appendix B) for the Yzermyn Coal Mine project in Wakkerstroom, conducted between May and June 2013. The logs detail the geological composition of several boreholes (including CBH1, CBH2D, CBH3D, CBH4D, CBH5D, CBH6, CBH7D, and CBH8D), identifying layers of sandstone, shale, siltstone, and specific coal seams such as the Alfred and Dundas seams.

The Department of Water Affairs (DWA) expresses strong opposition to the proposed Yzermyn Underground coal mine in the Mpumalanga Region, citing critical risks to wetlands, water quality, and protected environments. The DWA identifies the project's location within a National Freshwater Ecosystem Priority Area as a "fatal flaw" and notes that the mine could cause significant groundwater contamination and the drying up of wetlands.

This responding statement, submitted by the Centre for Environmental Rights on behalf of eight appellants, challenges the Department of Mineral Resources' (DMR) approval of the Environmental Management Programme (EMPR) for Atha-Africa Ventures (Pty) Ltd's proposed Yzermyn mine. The appellants argue that the approved EMPR authorizes an environmentally destructive discard dump, ignores extensive government conservation policies for the area, and contains woefully inadequate financial provisions for rehabilitation.

This document is a replying submission by Atha-Africa Ventures (Pty) Ltd to the Director-General of the Department of Mineral Resources. It responds to an administrative appeal lodged by a coalition of environmental organisations against the approval of the Environmental Management Programme (EMP) for the Yzermyn Underground Coal Mine Project.

This document records the administrative process of the South African Department of Mineral Resources in granting a coal mining right to Atha-Africa Ventures (Pty) Ltd in the Wakkerstroom area of Mpumalanga. Despite initial recommendations for refusal due to the area's status as a sensitive wetland grassland and objections from the Department of Water Affairs, WWF, and the Mpumalanga Tourism and Park Agency, the right was granted with specific conditions prohibiting mining activities in wetlands.

This document is a statement of grounds of appeal filed by eight environmental and community organisations against an environmental authorisation (EA) granted on 7 June 2016 to Atha Africa Ventures (Pty) Ltd for the Yzermyn underground coal mine near Wakkerstroom, Mpumalanga. The appellants argue that the EA was granted without lawful authority, based on a deficient Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIAR), and ignores critical biodiversity and socio-economic risks.

This document is a replying submission by Atha-Africa, submitted on 12 April 2019, responding to an administrative appeal against the approval of the Environmental Management Programme (EMP) for the Yzermyn Project. The submission disputes the findings of a September 2013 NSS Report and a subsequent 'Brownlie Review,' arguing that updated specialist studies by Delta-H and Scientific Aquatic Services demonstrate that the project's environmental impacts—specifically regarding wetlands, groundwater, and biodiversity—are localized and can be effectively mitigated.

A notice of appeal filed on 30 March 2015 by eight environmental organisations, represented by the Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), challenging the grant of mining right MP30/5/1/2/2/1/0069MR to Atha-Africa Ventures (Pty) Ltd (AAV). The appeal seeks to set aside and suspend the right for the proposed Yzermyn underground coal mine, arguing that the grant is unlawful and irrational given the area's extreme environmental sensitivity, its status as a protected environment, and the lack of required ministerial consent.

A letter from the South African Department of Mineral Resources to the Centre for Environmental Rights regarding an appeal against a mining right granted to Atha-Africa Ventures (Pty) Ltd in the Wakkerstroom district of Mpumalanga.

A letter from Atha Africa Ventures (Pty) Ltd to the Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) requesting that a notice of appeal submitted by the Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) be dismissed because the original mining right granting letter has been superseded by a second, amended version.