SA's apex court has recognised the deep connection coastal communities have with the ocean for their livelihoods, spirituality and culture, in what one environmental attorney has described as 'probably the highest profile environmental case in South African history'. Legalbrief ... Read More

As Eskom delivers its strongest performance in six years, the utility's unbundling plans have become a political livewire, notes Legalbrief. The Presidency has rebuked the chair of Eskom for publicly questioning the plan to restructure the utility, reports News24 ... Read More

The government is planning to amend the Criminal Procedure Act to include illegal prospecting and mining activities as illegal activities, which will attract fines of up to R100m and imprisonment of up to 30 years, in the biggest yet crackdown ... Read More

Minister of Elec­tri­city & Energy Kgosi­ent­sho Ramokgopa has reit­er­ated that coal remains an integ­ral part of SA’s energy mix des­pite the push for cleaner sources, urging crit­ics not to under­mine sci­ence-backed efforts to make the plan work. Ramokgopa told a ... Read More

Every time disaster strikes in SA, there is the familiar clamour for a state of disaster declaration. ‘Once the relevant Minister or the President obliges, emergency funds are mobilised, relief agencies spring into action, political bigwigs roll into affected communities ... Read More

An investigation by three media outlets has raised alarm over uranium in DRC cobalt shipments to China, reports RFI. An investigation by Lighthouse Reports, The Financial Times and Le Monde traces the possible export of uranium from the DRC back ... Read More

Ghanaian cocoa farmers are pushing back against a newly passed law that restricts how they can use their own land, urging President John Dramani Mahama to withhold his assent until they have been properly consulted, reports TimesLIVE. The Ghana Cocoa ... Read More

The Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) has called for an independent and transparent investigation into the Kariba ferry disaster that has claimed dozens of lives, saying the tragedy raises serious questions about public transport safety and regulatory oversight. On ... Read More

Repeated debilitating heatwaves this summer are likely to have cost the UK economy more than £4bn in lost economic output by the end of July, new analysis shows. A report in The Guardian notes that green thinktank Verdant had suggested ... Read More

Romania has been forced to shut down the last working ⁠reactor at its only nuclear plant after drought caused the Danube river to fall to record lows – a rare move that will immediately affect power supplies in neighbouring Moldova ... Read More

As US tech companies race to build the data centres fuelling the AI boom, they are increasingly putting up their own power plants – off the grid and running on gas – to get online faster. A Cape Times report ... Read More

* Buf­falo City Metro has intens­i­fied its crack­down on cable theft, deploy­ing a mul­ti-a­gency task team, increas­ing patrols and installing new detec­tion tech­no­logy. Recent oper­a­tions have tar­geted alleged syn­dic­ates, scrapyards and muni­cipal employ­ees, with dozens of arrests recor­ded since Decem­ber. The ... Read More

* The South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (SDCEA) has called a public meeting about the demolition and rebuilding work in and around two decommissioned refineries, the former Engen Refinery and Sapref. Residents said they were badly affected by the controlled demolition ... Read More

* Condolences poured in last week for Monkey Helpline’s Steve Smit who died of cancer on 12 August. Smit, alongside his partner Carol, dedicated his life to giving monkeys a second chance. They rescued vulnerable monkeys, rehabilitated them and returned them ... Read More

Crowdfund race for £30m propertyA UK conservation charity is racing to raise £30m (R690m) to buy the remaining 3 800ha of the Rothbury Estate in Northumberland, one of England’s largest land sales in three decades. The Wildlife Trusts has raised ... Read More

Fine for hooting at sleeping polar bearA person in Norway’s Svalbard archipelago in the Arctic has been fined about R86 000 for using a foghorn to wake a sleeping polar bear. The incident occurred this month when a vessel was ... Read More

Constitutional Court Sustaining the Wild Coast NPC v Minister of Mineral Resources & Energy; Natural Justice v Minister of Mineral Resources & Energy Judgment: 14 August 2026 Keywords: Administrative Law – just and equitable remedy – Constitution, s 172(1)(b) – ... Read More

SCA Topigs Norsvin SA (Pty) Ltd v Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd and Others Judgment: 14 August 2026 Keywords: Environmental law – Kusile water pollution even beyond relaxed pollution limits – Separation of powers – Subsidiarity principle – National Environmental Management ... Read More

Western Cape High Court Aukotowa Fisheries Primary Co-operative Limited & Another v DG Mineral & Petroleum Resources & Others Judgment: 13 August 2026 Keywords: Environmental law – Judicial review of environmental authorisation for seismic survey – Basic Assessment Report substantively ... Read More