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This document contains the Short Heads of Argument filed on 11 March 2021 by the First Respondent, Uthaka Energy (Pty) Ltd, in the High Court of South Africa (Gauteng Division, Pretoria). Uthaka argues against an urgent application for an interim interdict brought by the Mining and Environmental Justice Community Network of South Africa and others, which seeks to stop the commencement of the Yzermyn Underground Coal-mining Project. Uthaka contends that it possesses all necessary statutory authorisations and that the application lacks urgency, a prima facie right, and a reasonable apprehension of irreparable harm.

Natural Justice (NJ), a non-profit organization, submitted comments on the draft Expropriation Bill, 2020, to the South African Department of Public Works. While welcoming the Bill's goal to replace the Expropriation Act of 1975 and allow for expropriation without compensation to redress historical land imbalances, NJ argues the draft is too state-centric, lacks climate change considerations, and fails to provide sufficient mechanisms for public oversight and the protection of vulnerable land rights holders.

This report examines the acceleration of e-governance and the use of social media by governments during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a specific focus on South Africa's digital innovations and the broader challenges facing the African continent.

This briefing by the Stockholm Environment Institute maps the green bond landscape in Africa as of January 2021. It identifies the market as nascent and underdeveloped, dominated by a few states and entities, and outlines the structural barriers and opportunities for scaling up green finance to meet climate mitigation and adaptation needs across the continent.

This filing notice and updated practice note, submitted by the Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) on December 8, 2020, outlines an appeal in the High Court of South Africa (Gauteng Division, Pretoria). The appeal challenges a Water Tribunal decision that dismissed a previous appeal against the granting of a water use licence (WUL) to Atha-Africa Ventures (Pty) Ltd by the Department of Water and Sanitation.

This research paper by Mbongiseni Buthelezi examines how the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent hard lockdown in March 2020 exposed and exacerbated existing social, economic, and political fault lines in South Africa. The author analyzes the state's response, the role of the military and police, the emergence of corruption in PPE and food relief procurement, and the evolving relationship between the government, business, and civil society.

This policy brief proposes the creation of a legislated National Strategy and Development Council (NSDC) within the South African presidency to centralize national strategy and ensure institutional continuity across different administrations. It specifically advocates for restructuring the International Relations Trade and Security (IRTS) cabinet cluster into a directorate and establishing an independent, non-governmental Council on International Relations and Cooperation (CIRC) to provide expert advice and research.

This research report by the Institute for Security Studies assesses South Africa's first year as an elected non-permanent member of the UN Security Council (UNSC) for the 2019-2020 term. It examines the country's efforts to recalibrate its foreign policy under the Ramaphosa administration, its role in fostering African unity among council members, and its leadership during its October 2019 presidency.

A statement from the Centre for Environmental Rights, on behalf of the Life After Coal Campaign, urging the Portfolio Committee on Environment, Forestry and Fisheries to prioritise the Climate Change Bill and accelerate South Africa's transition away from fossil fuels to mitigate severe climate risks.

An open letter from a coalition of environmental activists to President Cyril Ramaphosa urging that the South Africa Investment Conference (5–7 November 2019) prioritize responsible investment over the exploitation of natural resources, specifically opposing the weakening of water use regulations to attract business.

This monograph examines the use and misuse of less-lethal weapons (LLWs) within South African prisons and by the South African Police Service (SAPS) Public Order Police (POP) units during crowd management from 2013 to 2018. It analyzes the legal and regulatory frameworks of the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) and SAPS, highlighting systemic failures in accountability, the use of equipment as instruments of torture, and the lethal consequences of weapons marketed as 'less-lethal'.

The South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) issued a statement condemning recent xenophobic violence in South Africa, calling for political leadership to stop scapegoating migrants and for the state to prosecute criminals and implement civic education based on common humanity.

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.

This policy brief examines the Tanzania Urban Resilience Programme (TURP) and its efforts to build climate resilience in the Msimbazi Basin of Dar es Salaam. It highlights the shift from hard-engineering to nature-based solutions, the importance of stakeholder engagement, and strategic project framing to secure diverse funding sources.

This report provides an air-pollution dispersion model and health risk assessment for 14 industrial facilities in and around South Africa's Mpumalanga Highveld Priority Area (HPA). The analysis compares actual 2016 emissions against a scenario where facilities comply with the 2020 Minimum Emissions Standards (MES), finding that current emissions cause significant early deaths and exceed multiple international air quality guidelines.

This research paper compares the migration regimes of South Africa and Germany, analyzing how each country manages the influx of refugees and economic migrants. It argues that while Germany has developed a sophisticated, integration-focused infrastructure to offset an ageing population, South Africa struggles with a securitized approach and socio-economic pressures that fuel xenophobia. The author suggests that South Africa can learn from Germany's inter-departmental coordination, private sector involvement, and proactive integration strategies to avoid the creation of 'parallel societies'.

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 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 by the South African Institute of International Affairs examines the cooperation between BRICS nations and Africa, focusing on industrialisation and infrastructure financing. It evaluates the role of South Africa in promoting African interests within the BRICS framework, the potential of the New Development Bank (NDB), and the challenges of debt, transparency, and unequal trade.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), representing various non-governmental and community-based organisations, submitted comments to the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) regarding the 2018 Draft Amendments to the National Dust Control Regulations 2013. The CER argues that the draft regulations remain inadequate for protecting human health and the environment, particularly for mining-affected communities, and calls for more rigorous enforcement, better monitoring methods, and the inclusion of specific health-related analyses for toxic dust.