In an extraordinary show of public solidarity for ALL RISE, 38 civil society organisations have come out in support of an earnest call on the National Union of Mineworkers; Mpukunyoni Traditional Authority; Mpukunyoni Community Mining Forum; the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union to and their representative attorney to:
• Respect Pretoria high court Judge Noluntu Bam’s 4 May ruling that Tendele Coal Mining’s 2013 application for a mining right (to expand its Somkhele operations) failed to comply with the law; and that the decision of officials in the Dept. of Minerals and Energy to award that right was invalid;
• Respect the right of the Mpukunyoni people to assert their constitutional rights without fear of reprisal; and
• Respect the right of their attorneys (ALL RISE) to act without fear of harassment, intimidation and defamation.
* Amongst the most serious transgressions was Tendele’s “fundamental breach of the law with regard to public participation”.
The 38 organisations’ letter follows a 17 May 2022 statement titled “Mpukunyoni Community calls on All Rise and their funders to account to the community for their efforts to close Tendele Mine” which attacks All Rise, demanding to know the source of its funding, accusing it of wanting to close the mine and stating that All Rise’s actions are “tantamount to a gross human rights violation”.
Note: ALL RISE Attorneys represent the Mfolozi Community Environmental Justice Organisation, the Global Environmental Trust, Mining Affected Communities United in Action, ActionAid, and the Southern Africa Human Rights Defenders Network.
All Rise is truly humbled by the support and thanks every single organisation that signed this letter. An attack on one is an attack on all.
SIGNED BY:
Amnesty International South Africa
Bench Marks Foundation
Socio-Economic Rights Institute of South Africa (SERI)
Centre for Applied Legal Studies
Centre for Environmental Rights
Earthlife Africa
Mining Affected Communities United in Action (MACUA) and Women Affected by Mining United
in Action (WAMUA)
Just Share
KZN Violence Monitor
Lawyers for Human Rights
Southern Africa Human Rights Defenders Network (SouthernDefenders)
ActionAid South Africa
Global Witness
Helen Suzman Foundation
Africa Coal Network
Environmental Defender Law Center
Global Environmental Trust
groundWork
350Africa.org
Natural Justice
Health Justice Initiative
BirdLife South Africa
P.E.A.C.E. Foundation Trust
EarthLore Foundation
EMS Foundation
Ian Player Magqubu Ntombela Foundation Trust
Living Limpopo
Animal Law Reform South Africa
Beauty Without Cruelty South Africa
Love Africa Marketing
Rhinos in Africa
Wilderness Leadership School
Future 4 Wildlife
Vervet Monkey Foundation
Global White Lion Protection Trust
Centre for Animal Rehabilitation and Education
The Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa (WESSA)
We are South Africans
