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...]
Major climate impacts destroy another coal power plant
Major climate impacts and exorbitant costs have sounded the death knell for one of the last new proposed coal-fired power stations in South Africa: Thabametsi in water-scarce Limpopo. Last week, environmental justice groups Earthlife Africa and groundWork, who have been challenging the Thabametsi power station in court since 2016, secured agreement from both Thabametsi and … [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...]
Rhino Conservation Awards to recognise unsung heroes
Nominations are now open for the Rhino Conservation Awards 2020, which aim to recognise those protecting Africa's wildlife. Never before has the importance of raising awareness for conservation and the individuals and organizations who fight tirelessly for it, been more paramount. These prestigious awards aim to highlight the people and organisations who are working … [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...]
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...]
Why Eskom should cancel its 60% tariff increase application
As Nersa prepares for public hearings on Eskom’s 45% Multi-Year tariff increase request (on top of an already approved 12% increase), Energy Expert Ted Blom has called on Eskom to scrap its application as the still captured and corrupt utility should not be granted any increases until a full forensic audit has been completed. “As we now enter 2019, Eskom is rudderless,” says … [Read more...]
Court victory for South Africa’s protected areas in Mabola case
Today, the North Gauteng High Court set aside the 2016 decisions of former Mineral Resources Minister Zwane and the late Environmental Affairs Minister Molewa to permit a new coal mine to be developed in the Mabola Protected Environment near Wakkerstroom, Mpumalanga. The case was brought by the coalition of eight civil society organisations challenging a range of … [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...]
Help stop South Africa’s corrupt nuclear deal
On 11 October 2017, the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) issued an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) authorisation for a new nuclear power plant and a radioactive waste disposal facility at Koeberg, about 26 km North of Cape Town. The public (this includes all South African citizens) may appeal this decision by 4 March 2018. We have a short window of time to … [Read more...]
