Centre for Environmental Rights – Advancing Environmental Rights in South Africa

Photo: WWF-SA

South Africa is currently suffering from one of the worst droughts in recent memory. The past few months have been a stark reminder of how vulnerable we are as a water-scarce country, and how vulnerable particularly rural communities across the country are to extreme drought events.

Access to drinking water is a Constitutional right. But water is also necessary for the realisation of other Constitutional rights like the right to life, to dignity, and of course environmental rights. Without clean water, we cannot live, thrive, or realise our capabilities. Protecting our strategic water source areas – that 8% of our land area that generates more than half of our river flow – has become a matter of life, and of freedom.

In 2016, the Centre for Environmental Rights is starting a new project aimed at securing the long-term legal protection and integrity of South Africa’s strategic water source areas, and we are looking for a legal campaigner to lead this new two-year project. This position is for a lawyer with a passion for the protection of South Africa’s precious water resources, for environmental rights and justice, who is an able campaigner for change, and who has a particular interest in water law, biodiversity and conservation law, and mining law.

The CER is based in Cape Town. While we occasionally allow staff to work from other locations where it appropriate or necessary for a particular project, we always require new staff to spend significant periods of time in our office in Cape Town, particularly at the start of any new appointment and/or project.

Applications close on 15 February 2016. For more details, visit the Vacancies page on our website (Ref No. CER 1/2016).

The Centre for Environmental Rights strives to reflect South Africa’s racial, cultural and gender diversity within its staff complement. All suitably qualified candidates are encouraged to apply.