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The Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) 2010-2030 for South Africa outlines a diversified energy strategy to ensure security of supply and promote local industry. The final 'Policy-Adjusted IRP' includes a 9.6 GW nuclear fleet, 6.3 GW of new coal, and 17.8 GW of renewables (wind, solar PV, and CSP). It maintains a carbon emission limit of 275 million tons of CO2 per year after 2024 and incorporates regional hydro imports from Mozambique, Lesotho, and Zambia. The plan also includes a Medium Term Risk Mitigation Project to address anticipated supply shortfalls through 2016.

The Electricity Regulations on New Generation Capacity, issued by the South African Minister of Energy under the Electricity Regulation Act 4 of 2006, establish the legal framework for procuring new electricity generation capacity by organs of state. The regulations cover planning via integrated resource plans, feasibility studies, ministerial determinations, and the procurement of capacity from Independent Power Producers (IPPs) and cross-border projects, while specifically excluding nuclear power technology.

A budget vote speech delivered by Minister Edna Molewa on 14 April 2011, outlining the Department of Water Affairs' strategy to increase water availability for economic growth and job creation in South Africa. The speech details major infrastructure projects, water security measures, regulatory frameworks for water quality, and plans for legislative review to prevent water hoarding.

Minister Edna Molewa's 2011 budget speech for the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) outlines priorities for biodiversity management, climate change mitigation, the transition to a green economy, and job creation through environmental programs in South Africa.

Minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson's 2011 budget speech for the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) outlines a 4.719 billion rand budget focused on poverty alleviation, job creation, and the sustainable management of natural resources in South Africa.

A submission by 13 non-governmental organisations, coordinated by the Centre for Environmental Rights, addressed to the Minister of Mineral Resources regarding proposed amendments to the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act, 2002 (MPRDA). The document argues that the current environmental regulatory regime for mining is inferior to that of other industrial sectors and calls for the integration of mining regulation under the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA) to ensure better environmental protection, public participation, and enforcement.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), representing 13 NGOs and CSOs, wrote to the Chief Executive of the Chamber of Mines to defend a request made to the Minister of Mineral Resources. The CER argues that existing statutory tools are insufficient to protect areas of critical biodiversity and hydrological value from mining, and therefore urges the Minister to use her discretion under Section 49 of the Minerals and Petroleum Resources Development Act (MPRDA) to declare certain 'no-go areas'.

The Centre for Environmental Rights, acting on behalf of a coalition of 34 non-government and civil society organisations, issued a letter to the Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) on Acid Mine Drainage demanding a response to a previous inquiry and the publication of an expert team's report regarding the release of toxic acid mine drainage into watercourses.

A formal request from the Centre for Environmental Rights and a coalition of twelve other NGOs to the South African Minister of Mineral Resources. The document urges the Minister to use her discretion under Section 49 of the Minerals and Petroleum Resources Development Act (MPRDA) to prohibit or restrict prospecting and mining in areas of critical biodiversity and hydrological value to protect the environment and mitigate climate change impacts.

A letter dated 25 January 2011 from a coalition of civil society organisations and individuals to the co-chairs of the Inter Ministerial Committee on Acid Mine Drainage (IMC), demanding transparency and urgent action to stop the release of untreated acid mine drainage (AMD) into South African water systems.

The Water Tribunal dismissed an appeal by the Escarpment Environmental Protection Group and the Wonderfontein Environmental Committee against a water use licence granted to Exarro Coal (Pty) Ltd. The ruling was based on the appellants' lack of locus standi under a strict interpretation of s 148(1)(f) of the National Water Act 36 of 1998.

This case study details a legal challenge by the Escarpment Environmental Protection Group (EEPOG) and the Langkloof Environmental Committee against the Department of Water and Environmental Affairs and WERM Mining (Pty) Ltd. The appellants sought to set aside a water use licence issued for the Langkloof Colliery in Mpumalanga, arguing that the licence was granted without inviting comments from interested parties as required by the National Water Act 36 of 1998. The Water Tribunal dismissed the appeal, ruling that the appellants lacked locus standi (legal standing) because they did not fall within the specific class of persons entitled to appeal under section 148(1) of the National Water Act.

The PAIA Civil Society Network Shadow Report: 2011 evaluates the implementation of the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) in South Africa between August 1, 2010, and July 30, 2011. The report finds that while civil society's use of the Act for strategic advocacy has increased, the performance of information holders has declined, characterized by a high rate of 'deemed refusals' and a lack of affordable dispute resolution mechanisms.

The Centre for Environmental Rights and nine other NGOs have written to JSE Limited to criticize the Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) Index for failing to account for companies' violations of environmental laws, arguing that this undermines the environmental regulatory system and misleads shareholders.

A joint letter from several environmental non-governmental organisations to the JSE Limited challenging the integrity of the Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) Index, alleging that it includes companies that are serial offenders of environmental laws.

The Revised Social and Labour Plan Guidelines, published by the Centre for Environmental Rights in October 2010, provide a framework for applicants for mining and production rights in South Africa to develop Social and Labour Plans (SLPs). These plans are a prerequisite for granting rights under the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act, 2002 (MPRDA) and are designed to transform the mining industry by promoting employment, socio-economic development, and the advancement of Historically Disadvantaged South Africans (HDSA).

A letter from Gareth Morgan MP to the Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs, responding to the government's claims regarding air quality in St Helena Bay. Morgan argues that emissions of hydrogen sulphide (H2S) and other sulphur compounds from fish factories are causing severe health issues for residents, particularly children, and calls for the installation of scrubber systems and a cessation of the use of rotten fish.

A letter from the Centre for Environmental Rights to the South African Ministers of Mineral Resources and Water and Environmental Affairs, offering support to a newly established task team focused on mining in sensitive areas and proposing a formal request to prohibit mining in areas of critical biodiversity and hydrological value.

This document is an excerpt from the Government Gazette of South Africa, dated 8 March 2010, presenting the preamble and the first article of the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal. It outlines the international agreement's goals to protect human health and the environment by reducing the generation of hazardous wastes and strictly controlling their movement across borders.

This case study examines a Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) judgment regarding competing applications for prospecting rights in Limpopo Province. The court focused on whether internal appeal processes under the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act (MPRDA) must be exhausted before seeking a judicial review under the Promotion of Administrative Justice Act (PAJA).