State makes its case in “Deadly Air” court drama By Liezl Human The second and final day of a court case about pollution on the Mpumalanga Highveld took place on Tuesday. The State argued that it has taken action against the Highveld pollution problem and a court order won’t help. The applicants responded that the State’s own study found its actions...

Informal reclaimers say the expansion of Pikitup into recycling will leave them without an income By Masego Mafata A project to integrate informal recyclers into city waste collection says it is under threat in Johannesburg. The African Reclaimers Organisation says plans to expand Pikitup operations to collect waste separated at source will take away from their livelihoods. The City plans to...

“Our homes smell like sewage and rubbish” says resident By Lucas Nowicki Makhanda (formerly Grahamstown) residents are taking the Makana Municipality to court, accusing the City of negligence and inconsistent waste management. They are being represented by the Legal Resources Centre. They want the City to clear all illegal dumpsites, provide refuse bins and bags, and collect refuse regularly. A date...

Court rules that Xolobeni community should have received mining application before the right was granted By Geoffrey Allsop The Umgungundlovu community, located in Xolobeni in the Eastern Cape, has won an important case in the Gauteng High Court that enables communities to meaningfully consult with companies that want to conduct mining operations in areas where they live or work. On 11 September, Judge...

“This is the time for you to act”, Creecy told By Madison Yauger Climate activist group Extinction Rebellion has asked Environment, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Barbara Creecy to declare a climate emergency in South Africa at the 2019 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP25) conference in Madrid, Spain. The group wants the government to reverse all policies inconsistent with addressing climate...

Controversial Australian company applies for further prospecting rights By John Yeld The future of one of South Africa’s most important biodiversity areas – the Olifants River estuary on the West Coast near Lutzville – could be decided at a crucial meeting on Wednesday 4 December. This is when various government departments and conservation agencies come together at a meeting hosted by CapeNature to...

“We have achieved this milestone after a long struggle” By Joseph Chirume Eastern Cape fishers say their lives will improve immensely now that the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries has finally issued them with fishing rights. The fishers said they had been denied fishing licenses by both the apartheid and democratic South African governments. They said the issue had been the subject...

Alien vegetation has a “severe impact” on biodiversity says SANBI By Madison Yauger One in seven of the thousands of plants and animals assessed by the South African National Biodiversity Institute in its latest four-year study is threatened with extinction. In its report, released on 3 October, SANBI found that well over 3,000 of the 23,312 indigenous species assessed have the potential to...

Ruling may lead to better environmental oversight By Wilmien Wicomb Anti-fracking activists won their appeal to the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) last month. The legal victory of Treasure the Karoo Action Group (TKAG) and others means that environmental regulation of mining activities has been taken out of the hands of the Department of Mineral Resources (DMR). For years, civil society organisations like the Centre...

“This agreement can never make full redress for the loss and harm suffered by gold mine workers and their families and communities over the last 100 years,” says judge By Tania Broughton There was a lot of “give and take” from both sides, but the settlement agreement, which has resulted in a R5 billion compensation fund for gold miners afflicted with Silicosis...