“Living in Emalahleni is like living in a closed bottle. It’s difficult to breathe.” By Ihsaan Haffejee An environmental activist in eMpumelelweni township in Emalahleni, Mpumalanga, is determined to get government to improve air quality in the region. The air quality in the Emalahleni region is amongst the worst in the world. Promise Mabilo started the Vukani Environmental Movement which campaigns...

Wild Coast communities and environmental organisations have now approached the Constitutional Court By Tania Broughton The Constitutional Court has been asked to put an end to the exploration right granted to Shell to do seismic testing off the Wild Coast. Wild Coast communities and environmental justice organisations have asked the Court to rule against a decision by the Supreme Court of...

Shell still has one more shot at seismic exploration authorisation By Tania Broughton The Supreme Court of Appeal has dismissed an appeal by Shell, Impact Africa and the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy, to overturn a High Court ruling that halted an seismic survey off the Wild Coast. Dismissing the application with costs, the court said community participation had been...

Pickets outside Standard Bank will continue, says Extinction Rebellion By Masego Mafata About 80 climate activists picketed outside the Standard Bank head office in Rosebank, Johannesburg, on Wednesday morning. The picket follows the arrest of an activist on Friday 8 March, the second arrest in five months. The picketers are calling on the bank to stop funding fossil fuel projects. About 80...

The French multinational company wants to drill for oil and gas along the coastline near Cape Town, the West Coast and the Garden Route By Qaqamba Falithenjwa While Springbok supporters were painting the city centre green in Cape Town on Friday, environmental activists picketed outside Parliament to oppose TotalEnergies’ offshore drilling for oil and gas. Members of Extinction Rebellion 350 Africa, Green Connection, Project 90...

Land Claims Court says the Constitution requires that ESTA be given a “generous interpretation” 21 November 2022 | By Tania Broughton The Land Claims Court has ruled that removing grazing rights can amount to an eviction. Courts have previously ruled that grazing is only permitted by consent of the landowner. The Constitutional Court has said that a “blinkered” approach must be avoided when...

Empowerment project stumbles in Khayelitsha, showing the complexity of providing solutions to informal settlements By Nombulelo Damba-Hendrik Qandu Qandu informal settlement residents in Khayelitsha say they have feel duped by a project that pairs a solar energy company with the Umbane project led by professors at UCT and Exeter University. The participants say they cannot afford the monthly usage fees for...

The court has put a stop to the seismic survey along the Wild Coast By Tania Broughton The High Court has ruled that the exploration rights granted to Impact Africa and Shell along the Wild Coast were unlawful. The judges said there was “no meaningful consultation” with interested and affected parties prior to the award of the right. The Minister of...

Legal Resources Centre says municipality has failed to comply with September court order on waste management By Loyiso Dyongman The Legal Resources Centre (LRC) in Makhanda has given the Makana Municipality until Friday 18 February to comply with a high court order of September last year to clean up all unofficial dumpsites in Makhanda - or face more court action. Makhanda residents (represented...

“If there is no drastic change we won’t be able to farm with cattle and maize in a few years time” By Marecia Damons Climate activists picketed outside Parliament on Saturday demanding government take drastic action over climate change. The Rural Women’s Assembly criticised the COP26 talks in Scotland for excluding the voices of small-scale African farmers and others most affected...