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The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), representing the Life After Coal campaign and several environmental justice alliances, formally objects to a proposed amendment by the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries to double the Sulphur Dioxide (SO2) Minimum Emission Standard (MES) for new plants in sub-category 1.1 from 500 mg/Nm3 to 1000 mg/Nm3. The CER argues that this weakening of standards is unlawful, violates the South African Constitution's right to a healthy environment, and would lead to significant premature deaths and exacerbated air pollution in priority areas.

This report by the Greenpeace Global Air Pollution Unit assesses the public health and environmental consequences of a proposal by South Africa’s Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries to double the Minimum Emissions Standards (MES) for SO2 from 500mg/Nm3 to 1000mg/Nm3 for power plants and industrial sources.

Lawyers for Human Rights requested consent for UN Special Rapporteur David Richard Boyd to act as amicus curiae in a South African court case (NGHC case no 39724/19). Boyd intended to provide international and comparative legal perspectives on State obligations regarding air pollution and the right to a healthy environment to assist the court in interpreting the NEM: Air Quality Act and the South African Constitution.

This integrated report, published by the Institute for Security Studies in July 2019, details multi-sectoral efforts in South Africa to prevent and reduce violence against children using the INSPIRE framework. Based on workshops with government departments, NGOs, researchers, and children, the report maps current activities across seven strategies and identifies systemic gaps, such as a lack of inter-sectoral trust and a critical shortage of therapeutic services.

This document is a Rule 16A notice filed in the High Court of South Africa, Gauteng Division, Pretoria, in June 2019. It outlines the constitutional issues raised by applicants—including GroundWork and the Vukani Environmental Justice Alliance—regarding air pollution in the Highveld Priority Area and the failure of the Minister of Environmental Affairs to establish regulations to implement the Highveld Priority Area Air Quality Management Plan.

The Draft National Spatial Development Framework (NSDF) 2019 is a long-term strategic planning instrument for South Africa, mandated by the Spatial Planning and Land Use Management Act (SPLUMA) and aligned with the National Development Plan (NDP). It aims to dismantle the spatial legacies of colonialism and apartheid by transitioning the country toward an integrated, inclusive, and sustainable national space economy by 2050.

This report projects that Eskom's planned non-compliance with South Africa's Minimum Emission Standards (MES) would lead to an estimated 16,000 avoidable premature deaths and significant excess emissions of SO2, NOx, particulate matter, and mercury. The health impacts are particularly acute in the Gauteng region, where 3,100 premature deaths could be avoided through full compliance. The analysis also highlights that mercury deposition would exceed health risk thresholds over 89,000km², affecting 3.4 million people.

The Vaal Environmental Justice Alliance (VEJA) and groundWork (gW) submitted a formal objection on 11 March 2019 against ArcelorMittal South Africa’s (AMSA) application for the postponement and alternative plant standards of minimum emission standards (MES) at its Vanderbijlpark Works. The submitters argue that AMSA's requests are unlawful, fail to meet statutory requirements, and would violate the constitutional right to a healthy environment.

This report by the Stockholm Environment Institute and the Energy Research Centre examines the potential significant decline of coal production in South Africa over the next five to ten years and the requirements for ensuring a "just transition."

A petition submitted by eight civil society organisations, represented by the Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), seeking intervener status in an appeal by the Practice Group (Pty) Ltd on behalf of Atha-Africa Ventures (Pty) Ltd. The appeal concerns a land-use change application for Portion 1 of Yzermyn 96 HT in the Dr Pixley Ka Isaka Seme Local Municipality, Mpumalanga, to transition the land from agriculture to mining.

The Mpumalanga Spatial Development Framework (PSDF) is a strategic report designed to guide the province's spatial transformation, aiming to reverse apartheid-era spatial imbalances and promote sustainable, inclusive economic growth. It proposes a polycentric growth management model based on a hierarchy of growth centres and corridors to integrate urban and rural areas.

This case study by GreenCape examines three initiatives in Cape Town and South Africa designed to build a resilient solar PV industry through quality assurance and skills development: the establishment of SARETEC, the creation of a national Solar PV Service Technician qualification, and the implementation of the PV GreenCard.

This 2019 fact sheet by the Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) analyzes funding trends and systemic inequities in South Africa's dual healthcare system. It highlights the disparity between private and public sector spending, the impact of austerity measures on health human resources, and the financial challenges facing the implementation of Universal Health Coverage through the National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill.

A formal objection submitted by a coalition of eight civil society organisations, represented by the Centre for Environmental Rights, against the Mpumalanga MEC's proposal to exclude specific properties from the Mabola Protected Environment (MPE) to facilitate coal mining.

This document consists of a series of letters and a report summary from the Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) addressed to the South African Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA). The CER, representing various environmental groups, argues that the Highveld Priority Area (HPA) has failed to improve air quality since its 2007 declaration. The CER demands the urgent implementation of regulations to enforce the 2012 Air Quality Management Plan (AQMP), the elimination of 'rolling postponements' for emission standards granted to major polluters like Eskom and Sasol, and a formal response to the 'Broken Promises' report regarding the ongoing violation of constitutional rights to a healthy environment.

The South Africa’s Low-Emission Development Strategy (SA LEDS) 2050 is a strategic framework designed to transition South Africa to a low-carbon growth path by 2050. It aligns national policies with the Paris Agreement and the country's Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC), focusing on a 'peak, plateau and decline' emissions trajectory. The strategy outlines sectoral measures for energy, industry, agriculture, forestry, and waste, while emphasizing a 'Just Transition' to ensure socio-economic upliftment and job security during the shift away from fossil fuels.

This briefing contains the applicants' notes for oral argument in a High Court case challenging the decisions of the Ministers of Environmental Affairs and Mineral Resources to permit mining in the Mabola Protected Environment (MPE). The applicants, a group of environmental and human rights NGOs, argue that the decisions were made without transparency, procedural fairness, or regard for the specific statutory duties imposed by the National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act (NEMPAA).

This report provides a management framework for South Africa's Strategic Water Source Areas (SWSAs), which produce over 50% of the region's mean annual runoff from 10% of the land. It details the economic importance of SWSAs, their role in supporting millions of people and the national economy, and provides specific implementation guidelines for the forestry, agriculture, and mining sectors to mitigate impacts on water quality and quantity. It advocates for the integration of SWSA maps into strategic spatial planning and the expansion of protected areas.

This report identifies and delineates Strategic Water Source Areas (SWSAs) for surface water and groundwater across South Africa, Lesotho, and Swaziland. It defines SWSAs as areas providing disproportionate runoff or high groundwater recharge that are nationally important for water security. The study identifies 22 national surface water SWSAs (SWSA-sw) and 37 national groundwater SWSAs (SWSA-gw), analyzing their contribution to urban centers, agriculture, and industry, while assessing threats from land-cover change, mining, and invasive alien plants.

This document contains the applicants' heads of argument in a legal application to review and set aside decisions made by the Minister of Environmental Affairs and the Minister of Mineral Resources to grant Atha-Africa Ventures (Pty) Ltd permission to conduct commercial coal mining in the Mabola Protected Environment (MPE) in Mpumalanga, South Africa.