Engineering News, 17 January 2011 The Environmental Management Inspectorate (EMI), known as the Green Scorpions, found that Eskom and Neotel were guilty of non-compliance at certain of their projects in Limpopo, as the EMI continued its national environmental law compliance inspections. The Green Scorpions would continue its national inspections in Mpumalanga from January 17 to… continued
The Centre for Environmental Rights calls for applications from suitably qualified and experienced candidates to take up a one-year contract with the Centre as environmental management intern. This intern will work with an experienced project manager on the Centre’s Promoting Participation programme, a programme aimed at facilitating effective civil society participation in environmental decision-making. In 2011,… continued
On 4 January 2011, the United States Court of Appeal ordered three executives to pay restitution to South Africa as a result of their illegal harvesting of South Coast and West Coast lobster in South African waters for export to America. Between 1987 and 2001, Hout Bay Fishing Industries Limited, in collaboration with two US corporations,… continued
Dear CER partners and supporters, 2010 has been an eventful first year for the Centre for Environmental Rights. Below is a quick overview of what has been achieved since we opened our office in Observatory in April 2010. Cases From April to December 2010, the Centre has formally taken on four substantial cases as attorneys… continued
You can now download the full judgement of the North Gauteng High Court from the Virtual Library on the CER’s website here.
MEDIA RELEASE COMMENT FROM THE CENTRE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL RIGHTS ON THE WRAYPEX AND BENGWENYAMA CASES 6 December 2010 Wraypex Pty Ltd v Gaylard and three others North Gauteng High Court Judgement delivered 6 December 2010 (written judgement not yet available) The Centre for Environmental Rights welcomes the decision of the North Gauteng High Court to… continued
The North Gauteng High Court has given judgement in favour of the four activists of the Rhenosterspruit Conservancy who were sued by developer Wraypex for R170 million for defamation and other claims in relation to the development of the Blair Atholl Golf Estate. We will provide more information as soon as the written judgement is… continued
This week, two important judgments concerning environmental law were handed down by the Constitutional Court and the Supreme Court of Appeal respectively. The first is the case of Bengwenyama (Pty) Ltd and Others v Genorah (Pty) Ltd and Others, where the Constitutional Court decided upon the administrative fairness of the allocation of prospecting rights to a third party… continued
In September 2010, the CER wrote to the Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs to enquire when the final List of Threatened Ecosystems would be published under s.52(1)(a) of the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act, 2004. A draft List was published in November 2009 pursuant to comprehensive consultation, but no news had been forthcoming about… continued
If you’re following the legal proceedings by a coalition of NGOs to stop the proposed Vele Colliery outside the Mapungubwe National Park and World Heritage Area, you can now read Limpopo Coal’s answering affidavits in the interdict application on the CER website, along with an application by the Centre for Child Law to intervene in… continued
Did you know that the Centre for Environmental Rights maintains an updated and searchable database of all Parliamentary Q&As to the Ministers of Water and Environmental Affairs, Mineral Resources and other Ministers whose work impacts on the environment in its Virtual Library? Have a look here. For those of you who have opened a criminal… continued
On 26 November 2010, members of the Sekuruwe Community brought an urgent application in the North Gauteng High Court for an interdict to stop Anglo Platinum’s PPL Mine near Mokopane in the Limpopo Province from dumping mine waste and continuing with the construction of a tailings dam on the farm Blinkwater. The Sekuruwe Community is… continued
The Environmental Management Inspectorate has published its National Environmental Compliance and Enforcement Report for 2009-10, relating to the compliance monitoring and enforcement results achieved by Environmental Management Inspectors across national and provincial government during this financial year (April 2009 to March 2010). Some of the key results in this report are listed below. There are… continued
Business Report, 5 November 2010 The Mpumalanga government was on the verge of issuing three new pre-directives advising mines that flouted environmental laws to halt unauthorised operations, an official said yesterday. This appears to signal a clampdown by provincial authorities on the mining industry for environmental offences, and comes amid concerns over a looming acid… continued
Business Day, 3 November 2011 A chaotic Department of Water Affairs has a new minister and a suspended director-general — and now acting director-general Nobubele Ngele has been suspended on allegations of tender fraud. Ms Ngele’s suspension on Monday, along with that of chief financial officer Onesmus Ayaya, follows the suspension of director-general Pam Yako… continued
Access to information and environmental rights The right to an environment that is not harmful to our health and wellbeing, as well as the right to have the environment protected for the benefit of present and future generations guaranteed in the Constitution, cannot be realised without access to information. Without access to information held by… continued
Business Day, 15 September 2010 The Department of Minerals and Energy is going to spend R1. 456 billion to rehabilitate as many of the 6000 owner-less and Derelict Mines as possible, depending on the availability of financial resources for the 10-year period. Head of communication of the Department of Minerals and Energy, Jeremy Michaels, warned… continued
The Department of Environmental Affairs has rejected PetroSA’s proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) offloading facility in the Mossel Bay area. You can read an article in Business Day of 15 September 2010 entitled “Setback for PetroSA in Mossel Bay supply plan” here, and a media statement by the civil society organisation Rescue Vleesbaai Action Group… continued
The Department of Environmental Affairs has published its Annual Report for 2009-10 as the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism. The report can be downloaded here.
Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism Annual Report 2009-10 (PDF)