This week, as South Africa adjusts to the eased of restrictions of lockdown Level 1, more people are likely to travel domestically again, many heading to SA’s economic hub for business. According to Earthlife Africa Johannesburg’s Makoma Lekalakala, “Many South Africans do not know that Johannesburg, the country’s largest city, is also the most radioactive city on the … [Read more...]
Women need to stand together to address environmental issues
The threats to our natural environment, along with the uncertainty it brings, most significantly affects South Africa’s women. In a spirited and inspiring online Women’s Month event (held earlier this month), Earthlife Africa Johannesburg – along with partners Gender CC Southern Africa-Women for Climate Justice, Greenpeace Africa and the Africa Coal Network – joined women from … [Read more...]
Tell SA’s biggest investment funds to help us divest from coal
South Africans are threatened by climate change, by the health and environmental impacts of fossil fuels – coal, gas and oil – and by the role of parts of the fossil fuel industry in state capture and in holding back wind and solar energy development. To build a just, sustainable, and healthy future for all South Africans, we need ethical savings and investments in our … [Read more...]
Call for urgent clarification of SA greenhouse gas objectives
A range of civil society organisations are taking their call for urgent clarification of greenhouse gas emissions objectives to the Public Protector. The complaint regards failure to implement provisions on mitigation in the National Climate Change Response White Paper, adopted by Cabinet in October 2011; most particularly the setting of “desired emission reduction outcomes” … [Read more...]
No time for nuclear risks with climate wolf at the door
“One of the critical challenges of leadership right now is having the courage and basic honesty to say to people exactly where we are. To speak truth to power. And the bottom line is that we are 5 minutes to midnight in terms of the climate plot.” So said Kumi Naidoo, former head of Greenpeace International, at his opening speech during the Earthkeeper Briefings Way Beyond … [Read more...]
‘No jobs on a dead planet’ says Kumi
"Preparing for the 22nd Century, Environmentally" was a talk held by Greenpeace Executive Director Kumi Naido at the Cornerstone Institute in Cape Town recently. Kumi said that faith communities must come to terms with the inconvenient and uncomfortable truth that without the involvement of faith communities, we won’t be able turn around catastrophic climate change. There … [Read more...]
Court action launched against illegal nuclear metal smelter
Did you know that the National Energy Corporation of SA (NECSA) has permission to smelt and release radio active metal into the South Africa marketplace? Last week a court action was launched to call for a halt of the operations at Pelindaba (just outside Tshwane), and a new process for authorisation to commence. According to papers filed in court this week, the test … [Read more...]
Nuclear an expensive investment in national suicide says NUM
The government and the ruling party should reconsider plans to forge ahead with expanding nuclear energy, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) said on Thursday. The NUM's national executive committee (NEC) met on Wednesday, where it discussed President Jacob Zuma's State of the Nation address. On Tuesday, Zuma signalled that South Africa would push ahead with nuclear … [Read more...]
Happy Earth Day All!
I fight not for the saving of the planet, for She did not elect me, I fight not to save Humankind, for they chose me not; I fight, in the process of self-induced human global suicide, On behalf of those innocents who suffer in the process... While one child goes hungry, while one sister cannot walk safely, while one person is homeless, while a single animal dies in the … [Read more...]
No air pollution increases allowed for Kriel Power Station
Earthlife Africa (ELA), groundWork and the Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) welcome the decision of Nkangala District Municipality (NDM) largely to refuse Eskom’s request to relax its atmospheric emission license for its Kriel Power Station in Mpumalanga. Eskom applied to amend the license in November 2013, notwithstanding that the MEC for the Mpumalanga Department of … [Read more...]
Nuclear whistleblower intimidation tactics
Most of the country are unaware that there has been a long standing process to try and get compensation for workers illegally exposed to nuclear radiation at NECSA (Nuclear Energy Corporation of SA) for some years now, from Parliamentary hearings to being taken to the Public Protector, with little result. An ex-worker who has been battling since mid-2000 for compensation, … [Read more...]
Plans to put radioactive metal in consumer goods going ahead
Civil society organisations have warned the nuclear industry to back off radioactive metal imports for smelting and its deregulated sale in South Africa, or face a legal battle. Hot on the heels of the Nuclear Energy Corporation’s (NECSA) claiming to have minimised the impact of the release of deadly radiation through negligence from the Pelindaba nuclear facility early in … [Read more...]
Eskom apologises for spying on NGOs
Eskom has apologised for using a private security company to spy on environmental bodies at the Medupi power station in Limpopo. In February this year, three environmental NGOs - groundWork, Earthlife Africa Jhb, and Greenpeace Africa quit Eskom's NGO forum following reports that Eskom contracted an intelligence company to spy on the them. After that, thousands of … [Read more...]
