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This guide provides a framework for integrating biodiversity and ecosystem services into the mining life cycle in South Africa. It details the application of the mitigation hierarchy—avoidance, minimisation, rehabilitation, and offsetting—across various stages of mining, from reconnaissance to decommissioning and closure. The document emphasizes the role of Environmental Management Programmes (EMPs) and the necessity of robust financial provision for environmental remediation, particularly when operating in biodiversity priority areas.

The guide outlines the legal framework for mining in South Africa, emphasizing the rights of affected communities to information, a healthy environment, and consultation. It details the four primary government permissions required for mining—mining/prospecting rights, environmental management plans, water use licences, and environmental authorisations—and provides a roadmap for community members to object to applications, seek compensation, and report environmental crimes.

The document details the environmental and socio-economic risks associated with three marine phosphate prospecting rights granted in South Africa. It asserts that bulk marine sediment mining would lead to the permanent destruction of seabed habitats, threatening biodiversity and the fishing industry, which provides significant employment and revenue in the Western Cape. The text further argues that South Africa's legal framework, specifically the MPRDA and NEMA, is insufficient to regulate or monitor such activities, potentially leading to an unregulated industry with irreversible ecological consequences.

The document identifies 22 water source areas (WSAs) in South Africa that provide 50% of surface run-off from only 8% of the land, supporting 60% of the population and 67% of economic activity. It highlights critical threats including coal and gold mining, fracking, climate change, and alien invasive vegetation, noting that only 13% of WSAs are under formal protection under the National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act (NEMPAA). The guide provides a 'Legal Toolbox' of seven legislative mechanisms to restrict harmful activities and restore ecological infrastructure.

Circular 8/2013 provides updated procedures for appeals under the Land Use Planning Ordinance, 1985 (LUPO) in the Western Cape, following a High Court judgment that declared section 44 of the LUPO unconstitutional. The circular outlines how the Minister will now handle appeals—through dismissal, setting aside, or substitution—and details the administrative requirements for municipalities processing these appeals.

This document is an Atmospheric Emission Licence (WCCT006) issued by the City of Cape Town to the Chevron Refinery in Cape Town. Issued on 31 March 2014 and valid until 31 March 2079, the licence authorizes various listed activities related to petroleum refining, including liquid and gas combustion, catalytic cracking, sulphur recovery, and the storage and handling of petroleum products. It details the refinery's operational processes, raw material capacities, and general conditions for compliance with the National Environmental Management: Air Quality Act, 2004.

The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) of South Africa has refused an application for Environmental Authorisation submitted by Karpowership SA (Pty) Ltd for a 415MW Gas to Power Powership Project at the Port of Saldanha. The refusal is based on significant failures in the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process, including inadequate public consultation, gaps in specialist studies, and non-compliance with legislative requirements.

The report finds that the DMRE's capacity for environmental compliance monitoring and enforcement at mines remains 'woefully inadequate', with a severe shortage of qualified inspectors relative to the number of operating mines. Analysis of data from 2017 to 2019 reveals a decrease in inspections in six of nine provinces and significant discrepancies between the DMRE's annual reports and information provided via PAIA requests. The document highlights a lack of transparency, noting that the DMRE does not publish a comprehensive results report similar to the National Environmental Compliance and Enforcement Report (NECER). Criminal enforcement is described as inconsistent, with some provinces recording no activity and others showing a steep drop-off between arrests and successful prosecutions.

The document serves as a PAIA manual for the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE), detailing how individuals can exercise their constitutional right to access information. It outlines the department's mandate to develop the mineral resources and energy sector, lists the legislation it administers, and categorizes the types of records it holds, including policies on electricity, coal, gas, and nuclear energy. The manual specifies the process for submitting requests via Form A, the associated fees (such as a R100 request fee), and the internal appeal process to the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy. Additionally, it describes the department's handling of personal information under the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA), including the categories of data subjects and the security measures implemented to protect such data.

The Department of Mineral Resources of the Republic of South Africa refused an Integrated Environmental Authorisation (IEA) application by Mineral Sands Resources (Pty) Ltd for the expansion of mining operations in the West Coast District Municipality of the Western Cape. The refusal was based on the applicant's failure to comply with the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA) and the 2014 EIA Regulations, specifically regarding the omission of listed activities in the application and the unlawful commencement of activities before receiving authorisation.

The report warns that bulk marine sediment mining in the Western Cape would likely cause the 'effective destruction and removal of the benthic ecosystem' within mined areas, with recovery potentially taking decades or being permanent. It highlights significant spatial overlaps between proposed prospecting areas and vulnerable benthic habitats, priority conservation regions, and commercial trawl fisheries. Potential impacts include acoustic disturbance to marine mammals and fish, water-column chemistry alterations leading to hypoxia, and the re-suspension of heavy metals. The author argues that the permanent alteration of sea floor habitats is 'inevitable' with deep-sea dredging and calls for a cautious approach to protect biodiversity and sustainable fishery resources.

This document is a PAIA Manual issued by the South African Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE). It serves as a guide for the public to exercise their constitutional right of access to information held by the Department, detailing the types of records available, the process for requesting them, and the protections afforded to personal information under the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA).

The document details a progression of severe climate impacts in South Africa, moving from initial disruptions in marine resources, agriculture, and water availability to eventual large-scale uninhabitability, infrastructure collapse, and mass migration as temperatures rise toward 4°C+ by 2100.

This document consists of a practice note and legal submissions filed by the National Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs to the Constitutional Court of South Africa. The submissions argue that holders of mining rights or permits granted under the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act (MPRDA) are not exempt from obtaining separate environmental authorisations under the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA) for listed activities.

A legal notice filed by the Centre for Environmental Rights on April 18, 2017, announcing the withdrawal of Case No: 487/2017 from the High Court of South Africa (Mpumalanga Division, Nelspruit).

The report values South Africa's commercial fishing industry, highlighting its significant contribution to the Western Cape's economy and the risks posed by marine phosphate mining. It finds that the hake and small-pelagic sectors are the most economically valuable, with substantial spatial overlap between their fishing grounds and proposed mining areas. The analysis warns that mining could lead to habitat destruction, water quality deterioration, and loss of MSC certification, while noting significant uncertainty regarding the actual scale of these impacts.

The report identifies critical failures in South African water governance and provides recommendations for civil society to intervene and improve the management of water resources.

This briefing document is a recommendation to the Deputy Director-General of the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy to approve amendments to mining rights held by Mineral Sands Resources (Pty) Ltd and Tormin Mineral Sands (Pty) Ltd. The proposed changes include adding magnetite as a mineable mineral and extending the mining area for Mineral Sands Resources (Pty) Ltd in the Magisterial District of Van Rhynsdorp.

Mineral Sands Resources (Pty) Ltd has applied for consent under section 102 of the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act (MPRDA) to expand the mining area of the Tormin Mine in the Western Cape. The request includes adding the 'Northern 10 Beaches', an inland 'Strand' line area, and infrastructure for a Mineral Separation Plant.

This document is a Record of Recommendation (ROR) from the Mine Environmental Management sub-directorate to the Regional Manager of Mineral Regulation in the Western Cape Region. It recommends granting an Integrated Environmental Authorisation (IEA) to Mineral Sands Resources (Pty) Ltd for the mining of heavy minerals across several farms and beaches in the Vanrhynsdorp Magisterial District.