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The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) has released a toolkit to guide citizens in submitting feedback on South Africa's Climate Change Bill. The guide outlines the lawmaking process, explains the role of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), and identifies critical gaps in the Bill, such as the lack of urgent timeframes for emissions targets, weak transparency provisions, and the use of an outdated 2015 NDC as an interim trajectory. It urges the public to demand stronger penalties for exceeding carbon budgets and more meaningful public participation hearings.

This document is a decision by the Director of Appeals and Legal Review within the South African Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries regarding a request for condonation for the late filing of an appeal. The appeal concerns a decision to grant ArcelorMittal South Africa a suspension from complying with Minimum Emission Standards (MES) at its facility in Vanderbijlpark.

The document defines financial provision as secured funds set aside by extractive companies to cover the costs of environmental rehabilitation, based on the 'polluter must pay' principle. It highlights the systemic problem of 'derelict and ownerless' mines and mine abandonment in South Africa, which exacerbates poverty and inequality. The regulations aim to ensure companies remain accountable for environmental damage, prevent the State from becoming liable for cleanup costs, and establish clear methods for calculating rehabilitation costs. The guide encourages affected communities to engage in public participation processes by requesting detailed closure plans and costing information from companies and environmental assessment practitioners.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) has requested a meeting with the South African Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) to discuss the ongoing review of the Minerals and Petroleum Resources Development Act, 2002. The CER, acting on behalf of a strategy group of over ten non-governmental organisations, civil society groups, and academic institutions, aims to share expertise on environmental compliance, transparency, and accountability in mining to ensure draft legislation has greater civil society buy-in from an early stage.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), acting for Earthlife Africa Johannesburg (ELA), wrote to the Department of Energy on 18 October 2016 to question the appointment of Thabametsi Power Company (Pty) Limited as a preferred bidder for a coal-fired power station. The CER highlights a pending High Court review application regarding the project's environmental authorisation, specifically the failure to conduct a climate change impact assessment, and requests clarity on whether Thabametsi disclosed this legal challenge to the Department as required by the procurement criteria.

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.

This document is a formal response from Eskom to a request for information submitted by the Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) under the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA). The request, identified as PAIA QUERY 10637, concerns generation atmospheric emissions license compliance and decommissioning. Eskom agrees to provide access to several identified records but denies access to others or severs specific parts of records based on the Promotion of Information Act (Act 2 of 2000).

A letter from the National Air Quality Officer (NAQO) of the South African Department of Environmental Affairs to the Centre for Environmental Rights, providing the reasons and legal framework for decisions regarding applications for the postponement of compliance with Minimum Air Quality Emission Standards (MES).

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) argues that South Africa's climate position for COP21 must be grounded in Constitutional obligations to protect human health and the environment. The CER contends that current investments in coal-fired power stations contradict national climate goals and that the state requires transparent, science-based emission regulations and enforcement to meet its legal duties.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) has applied for the suspension of a decision by the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy to grant extended mining rights to Mineral Sands Resources (Pty) Ltd and Tormin Mineral Sands (Pty) Ltd at the Tormin mine. The CER argues that the expansion occurs within Critical Biodiversity Areas and that the environmental impacts are irreversible and inadequately assessed.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) provides a detailed table of comments and proposed amendments to the National Environmental Management Laws Amendment Bill, 2017. The document focuses on strengthening environmental compliance, improving financial provisioning for rehabilitation, and ensuring public participation in administrative processes across several South African environmental acts, including NEMA, NEMPAA, NEMBA, NEMAQA, NEMICMA, and NEMWA.

The document outlines the threats posed by bulk marine sediment mining, specifically the use of Trailing Suction Hopper-Dredge (TSHD) technology, and calls for a moratorium in South Africa to protect marine ecosystems and fisheries.

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 a compilation of legal summons, news articles, emails, and personal essays centered on a long-running conflict between the Amadiba community on South Africa's Wild Coast and the Australian mining company Mineral Commodities Limited (MRC). The materials detail allegations of human rights abuses, fraudulent attempts to secure mining rights for titanium deposits at Xolobeni, and the 2016 assassination of anti-mining activist Sikhosiphi 'Bazooka' Rhadebe.

The report argues that climate change causes profound adverse mental health implications for South Africans, exacerbating existing vulnerabilities caused by poverty and historical injustices. It highlights that exposures—such as natural disasters, water insecurity, and air pollution—lead to psychopathologies including anxiety, depression, and suicide. Children and future generations are identified as particularly vulnerable, facing psychological harms that can impair school performance and emotional well-being. The author further asserts that government decisions to continue developing coal capacity contribute to a sense of institutional betrayal and secondary trauma.

A letter from Eskom to the Centre for Environmental Rights stating that Eskom has not signed Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) with Coal Baseload Independent Power Producers (IPPs) due to disagreements over terms and conditions, and that it is awaiting a value-for-money assessment from the Department of Energy.

This document contains the Applicant's Heads of Argument and Practice Note filed by the City of Cape Town in the High Court of South Africa (Gauteng Division, Pretoria). The City is seeking a declaratory order regarding the interpretation of section 34 of the Electricity Regulation Act 4 of 2006 (ERA), arguing that a ministerial determination is not required for an independent power producer (IPP) to establish a new power plant and supply electricity to the City. The City contends that the current interpretation held by the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) and the Minister of Energy is either legally incorrect or unconstitutional as it infringes upon the autonomy of local government.

The Access to Information Network (ATI Network), a coalition of South African civil society and media organisations, submitted comments on the proposed Regulations relating to the Promotion of Access to Information, 2020. The network argues that proposed reproduction fees for documents are exorbitantly high and create barriers to the constitutional right of access to information, particularly for those without electronic means. The submission proposes lower per-page fees, the elimination of costs for electronic transfers, and various administrative adjustments to the regulations and request forms.