Reuters: Lithium mining for green power triggers eco-outcry from South African farmers

Lithium mining for green power triggers eco-outcry from South African farmers

Mining lithium for batteries is a growing part of South Africa’s plan to use the global shift towards green energy to revive its economy, but now it faces a challenge from ‌thousands of angry farmers who fear losing productive land to open-pit mines.

www.reuters.com

Mail & Guardian: Department of water and sanitation confirms groundwater exceedances at Thirsti bottling plant in KZN

Department of water and sanitation confirms groundwater exceedances at Thirsti bottling plant in KZN

Environmental justice groups have questioned Thirsti’s groundwater abstraction at its KwaZulu-Natal facility, alleging use beyond its authorisation as the company seeks a water use licence from the department

mg.co.za

News 24: Thirsti under scrutiny in KZN as residents raise concerns, questions over water extraction

Thirsti under scrutiny in KZN as residents raise concerns, questions over water extraction | News24

Community concerns in Normandien, KwaZulu-Natal, over Thirsti’s groundwater use have escalated into a dispute involving allegations of unlawful abstraction, a company denial, and ongoing regulatory review by the Department of Water and Sanitation.

www.news24.com

Daily Maverick: Attorneys warn of corruption risks and weaker checks in new environmental impact assessment plan

Attorneys warn of corruption risks and weaker checks in new environmental impact assessment plan

Environmental law watchdogs are pushing back against government plans to introduce a more ‘flexible’ environmental impact assessment (EIA) process, warning that the proposed changes could weaken publi…

www.dailymaverick.co.za

Daily Maverick: Nearly 1,000 people face relocation in KZN lithium mine expansion plan

Hundreds face relocation in KZN lithium mine expansion plan

The homes of more than 800 people on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast face demolition to make way for the expansion of a lithium mine. Lithium is a mineral in high global demand for the manufacture of el…

www.dailymaverick.co.za

Mongabay: Proposed shark net near Club Med resort in South Africa sparks conservation clash

Proposed shark net near Club Med resort in South Africa sparks conservation clash

On Feb. 13, a juvenile humpback dolphin was caught and killed in one of the many nets strung up off the coast of South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province to protect beachgoers from sharks. The incident, near the city of Richards Bay on the country’s eastern coast, was a blow for South Africa’s population of Indian ocean […]

news.mongabay.com