The Pretoria High Court has declared that the environmental approval for the planned 600MW Khanyisa coal-fired power station has expired. Khanyisa would have been built on the outskirts of Emalahleni, already plagued by toxic air pollution. The court order is effectively the final nail in the coffin for the proposed coal plant - backed by Saudi company ACWA Power - which has … [Read more...]
Energy company ordered to slash carbon emissions
In a landmark ruling, a Dutch court ordered the energy giant Royal Dutch Shell to slash planned greenhouse gas emissions, paving the way for legal action to be taken against fossil fuel companies across the planet. This is of particular relevance to Namibia, where Canadian company ReconAfrica is currently exploring for oil and gas. “Companies have an independent … [Read more...]
Civil society calls for protection of Piatúa River
On November 26, a coalition of civil society organizations and law professors submitted an amicus brief to Ecuador’s Constitutional Court calling for the protection of the Piatúa River based on the Rights of Nature and Indigenous rights. The Piatúa River is under threat from a hydroelectric project that Ecuador’s government approved without the free, prior, and informed … [Read more...]
Somkhele environmental activist Fikile Ntshangase murdered
“I refused to sign. I cannot sell out my people. And if need be, I will die for my people.” Tragically, grandmother Fikile Ntshangase’s words became a reality when she was gunned down in her home at Ophondweni, near Mtubatuba, on the evening of 22 October 2020. Mama Ntshangashe was the Vice-Chairperson of a sub-committee of the Mfolozi Community Environmental Justice … [Read more...]
Last chance to stop 5G antennae in your garden
Thousands of scientific studies have demonstrated that radiation from cell towers, WiFi and cellphones have been damaging our health since the introduction of 2G, 3G, 4G technologies over the past 30 years. As a medical doctor I am becoming increasingly concerned about the harm caused by electromagnetic radiation (EMR) in our environment. It is no coincidence that there … [Read more...]
Complementary medicine regulations to be challenged in high court
After two years of legal wrangling, the controversial complementary medicine regulations are to be reviewed and adjudicated this week. Starting on Tuesday, Traditional and Natural Health Alliance (TNHA) Chairperson Anthony Rees will be representing the Alliance of Natural Health Products South Africa (ABHPSA) before the Gauteng North High Court. This case places under … [Read more...]
Cape High Court rules in favour of the PHA Campaign
In a precedent-setting ruling, Judge Kate Savage on Monday declared that South African municipalities must take climate change and water scarcity into account when making planning decisions. The Western Cape High Court ruling states that the rezone permission and environmental authorisations for the development known as Oaklands City are suspended, and must be returned to … [Read more...]
No more eviction for crucial Joburg recycling NPO
A group of 110 waste collectors will not be thrown out of their waste-sorting depot at Pirates Sports Club in Greenside. WastePreneurs, an initiative that helps to uplift Joburg’s informal waste collectors, has won its first interdict against the City of Johannesburg Property Company (JPC), repealing its eviction from Pirates. In what has been hailed as a “small but … [Read more...]
Philippi farmers challenge development decisions in court
A legal battle over the Philippi Horticultural Area (PHA), situated in the urban edge of Cape Town, starts this week. On 15 and 16 October 2019, the PHA Food & Farming Campaign will be arguing for the preservation of a key piece of agricultural land in the City of Cape Town’s jurisdiction that is under threat from proposed developments. The case on the roll in the … [Read more...]
Landmark decision for lions ahead of World Lion Day
The Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) is delighted to note that the Pretoria High Court has today set aside the 2017 and 2018 lion bone quotas, stating that these were both unlawful and unconstitutional, and that due process was not followed in the setting of these quotas. Before giving his judgement, Judge Jody Kollapen said that this issue has implications for both current … [Read more...]
A landmark celebration for a landmark organisation
At its 20-year celebration event in Cape Town last night, Biowatch celebrated 20 years of learning, sharing and activism to protect natural and agricultural biodiversity across South Africa. The event was a highlight on the first day of the Agroecology for the 21st Century Conference currently happening at the Centre for the Book, Iziko Museum and Spin Street Gallery. The … [Read more...]
No protection for Cape Town’s breadbasket even after drought
The Philippi Horticulture Area (PHA) Campaign - who host hundreds of UCT and foreign students a year and was presenting at this year's conference - has withdrawn from the Agroecology for the 21st Century Conference in Cape Town this week. The event is taking place at the Centre of the Book, Queen Victoria Street, Cape Town CBD 28, 29, 30 January 2019. The PHA Campaign and … [Read more...]
Urgent action needed to remedy South Africa’s water crisis
In 2002 South Africa officially became a water constrained economy, when the National Water Resource Strategy reported that we had allocated 98% of our total water resource. Subsequent high confidence studies have shown that we over-estimated the water available at the time, so in short, we have allocated all the water that we have. This means that we are simply unable to grow … [Read more...]
