For the past two years, there has been ongoing engagement between civil society, community organisations, academic institutions and law clinics increasingly concerned about the impacts of mining on the environment and on the communities that rely on those natural resources. This coalition has now evolved into a Mining-Environment-Community Alliance that works together to implement a Civil Society Legal Strategy to Promote Environmental Compliance, Transparency and Accountability in Mining.
This Strategy consists of a range of interventions, implemented independently and collaboratively by the project participants, ranging from national networking and coordination, research, advocacy and litigation.
The focus of our concern and endeavours is not to oppose mining, but to ensure that adequate assessment and mitigation of detrimental impacts take place within reasonable timeframes before prospecting and mining are commenced, followed by predictable compliance monitoring of requirements set, and strong enforcement action taken when non-compliance is found. This is the only way to ensure responsible environmental practices at mines, in the interest of workers, communities and the country.
Participants in the Alliance include:
- Batlhabine Foundation
- Bench Mark Foundation
- BirdLife South Africa
- Centre for Applied Legal Studies, University of the Witwatersrand
- Centre for Environmental Rights
- Conservation South Africa
- Earthlife Africa Johannesburg (Acid Mine Drainage Working Group)
- Endangered Wildlife Trust
- Environmental Monitoring Group
- Federation for a Sustainable Environment
- groundWork
- Kommagas Community
- Lawyers for Human Rights
- Legal Resources Centre
- Madadeni Mining Committee
- Open Democracy Advice Centre
- Socio-Economic Rights Institute
- South African History Archive
- South Durban Community Environmental Alliance
- Sustaining the Wild Coast
- Vaal Environmental Justice Alliance
- Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa
- Wilderness Foundation
- WWF South Africa
- University of the Witwatersrand Law School
- University of KwaZulu-Natal Law School
See our growing library of resources here.
Read about our work on acid mine drainage here.
Read about our work on getting areas of critical biodiversity and/or hydrological sensitivity and value declared as no-go zones for prospecting and mining, and imposing restrictions to improve the quality and rigour of EIAs for mining, here.
Read about specific controversial prospecting and mining rights applications here.
Read here about and watch short films on the stories of how environmental impacts of unlawful, poorly managed and poorly regulated mining are affecting communities across the country.