Centre for Environmental Rights – Advancing Environmental Rights in South Africa

Date: 7 April 2026

Time: 12h00 – 13h30 (SAST)

Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89043839288?pwd=KZirRSWDYzqKZAu7O8ma9RnivAl058.1

Meeting ID: 890 4383 9288

Passcode: 664982

South Africa is positioning itself as a critical minerals leader on the continent — but at what cost, and where do the gaps and opportunities lie?

In this webinar, we aim to unpack the legal frameworks governing critical minerals in South Africa and highlight the gaps that are often overlooked. How do communities perceive critical mineral projects? Are these projects proceeding with informed consent and meaningful engagement?

We will discuss the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act (MPRDA) of 2002, which establishes the state’s custodial role over mineral resources and requires that mining rights be granted only when they advance national development goals. We will also explore South Africa’s critical minerals policy anchored in the Critical Minerals and Metals Strategy for South Africa (CMMSSA), approved by Cabinet in May 2025, as well as the accompanying Mineral Resources Development Bill (MRDB) of 2025, which proposes amendments to existing mining legislation, including the MPRDA.

The webinar will further examine community perspectives on critical mineral projects. Many communities fear displacement and injustice, as projects often proceed without free, prior, and informed consent. This has led to forced relocations, land disputes, and inadequate compensation. Economic exclusion is another major concern: the familiar “resource curse” pattern — exporting raw minerals without local processing — limits job creation and deepens inequality, allowing elites to benefit while local labour is exploited.

Policy alone is not enough. The new Critical Minerals Strategy requires strong enforcement and a clear commitment to community‑centred governance. Financial institutions must also shift from funding purely extractive projects to supporting those that incorporate local procurement requirements and meaningful community benefits.

Meet the Speakers:

Tarisai Mugunyani: Tarisai is the Mining Programme Head at CER.  She holds an LLB from the North West University and was admitted as an attorney in 2016. Tarisai is passionate about human rights causes and has worked with communities on various land issues relating to land tenure, evictions, women land and housing rights including the land and environmental rights of mine hosting and mine affected communities. At CER she aims to continue advocating for human rights causes, in particular the right to an environmentally just society.

Sabelo Nguni (MACUA): Sabelo is the National Coordinator of Mining Affected Communities United in Action (MACUA) and a seasoned grassroots activist with years of experience organising alongside mining-affected and marginalised communities across South Africa. His work centres struggles for justice, dignity, and community power in the face of extractive violence, exclusion, and corporate impunity.

Grounded in lived experience and collective struggle, Sabelo brings a critical community voice that challenges top-down transition narratives and insists that justice cannot be negotiated without those most affected at the table.

Siyabonga Myeza (Greenpeace): Siyabonga Myeza is a Johannesburg-based Climate and Energy Campaigner for Greenpeace Africa. He works on advocacy regarding climate change, fossil fuel opposition, and promoting renewable energy, notably speaking on behalf of the organisation during campaigns against oil corporations in South African waters and advocating for green jobs. Myeza highlights the impact of extreme weather events in South Africa as a consequence of climate change. He has been heavily involved in opposing “big oil” companies, such as TotalEnergies, in African waters. He has supported youth movements demanding sustainable jobs and has participated in discussions about climate change, such as the #AfricaMatters Summit, focusing on financing Africa’s recovery.