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S. Africa: Court slams mining giant for attempting to use a SLAPP suit to silence criticism and environmental activism
âA momentous legal victory for environmental activism and free speechâ 10 February 2021
On Tuesday, the South African High Court held that a series of defamation lawsuits brought by Australian mining company Mineral Commodities Ltd (MRC) and its local subsidiary, against six environmental activists, is an abuse of the legal process. MRC and its subsidiary sued the defendants for a total of ZAR14.25 million (approximately USD 980 000). In her judgment, Deputy Judge President Patricia Goliath found that SLAPP (Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation) was a viable defence for the activists and public interest lawyers against the mining companiesâ claims.
Bernard Dupont/Flickr In My Own WordsDefend the Planet
A Community Torn Apart by Coal Mining Taught Me Environmental Rights Are Human Rights
Lawyer Kirsten Youens has seen the impact of fossil fuels on a community in South Africa.
Why Global Citizens Should Care
The world’s poorest people suffer most from the climate crisis, despite the fact that they have contributed the least to the problem. The effects of climate change are already being felt worldwide, from failed crops to wildfires, and droughts to floods and it threatens to reverse significant progress on everything from health to food security. Join the movement by taking action here to help fight climate change.
Wednesday 12 February 2014 - 3:21pm
A map showing Eskom s non-compliant coal-fired power stations
JOHANNESBURG - South Africans living in Gauteng, Limpopo and Mpumalanga could suffer long-term respiratory health illnesses if Eskom wins a bid to be exempted from air quality laws, activists say.
Eskom is planning to submit applications to the department of environmental affairs to postpone the deadline for which they need to comply with minimum emission standards in the Naitonal Environmental Management Air Quality Act of 2004.
The Centre for Environmental Rights has drafted a legal objection to Eskom’s request on behalf of a number of environmental groups.
The legal objections are on the grounds that Eskom does not meet the requirements for a postponement as set out in air quality act, the 2012 National Framework for Air Quality Management in the Republic of South Africa (Framework), and the Atmospheric Impact Report Regulations.
First published in the Daily Maverick 168 weekly newspaper.
South African big-wave surfer Mike Schlebach recently formed a non-profit company to challenge the increasing number of prospecting and mining activities on the Cape West Coast, which has led to ecological degradation and restrictions to coastal access. These mining companies seem to be operating with little regard for fragile coastal ecosystems and the concerns of local and recreational users.
This has been playing out on South Africa’s West Coast – the arid, hauntingly beautiful stretch of otherwise largely untouched public and private farmland abutting the sparkling Atlantic Ocean stretching up to the Orange River – for decades. These mines litter large stretches of the coast, from north of the Olifants River to Alexander Bay on the Namibian border.
As 2020 comes to a close there is a lot being said about recovery, resilience and reimagining a better world. More than ever, the prospect of a new year seems to present an opportunity for a fresh start. For countries around the world the “great reset” has become a resounding mantra for change.
On the global stage, a United Nations resolution dealing with sustainable development is indicative of significant and fundamental changes to the understanding of development. A recent resolution states that “the process of recovery from Covid-19 provides us with a unique opportunity to build back better, so as to transform the world into one where humans truly live in harmony with nature”.