South Africa: Environmental Law

The Western Cape High Court has dismissed a challenge to an environmental authorisation for seismic reconnaissance survey operations in the Orange Basin. The judgment examines whether decision-makers adequately considered environmental legislation, coastal management factors, and future oil and gas risks when granting approval for offshore exploration activities.

The Illinois Supreme Court has resolved a critical question about the scope of pollution exclusions in commercial general liability insurance policies. When a facility operates under a government-issued permit authorising emissions, does that regulatory approval affect whether a pollution exclusion applies to claims arising from those emissions? The Court's decision clarifies the relationship between regulatory compliance and insurance coverage for environmental harm.

South Africa's data centre boom presents a critical infrastructure challenge: can aging water systems and fragile utilities support decades of operation while protecting constitutional water rights? As communities mobilize against new developments and Eskom grapples with surplus capacity, the decisions made today will determine whether digital growth strengthens or strains the nation's resources.

The Department of Forestry, Fisheries & the Environment has issued Draft National Waste Exemption Regulations, 2026 (draft National Waste Exemption Regulations) for public comment...

The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment ("DFFE") has published Government Notice 7136 ("Notice")...

The global trade in counterfeit goods continues to pose substantial risks to economies, consumers, and the environment.

On 30 July 2025, the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment ("DFFE") published South Africa's Draft Second Nationally Determined Contribution ("NDC") in the Government Gazette.

Together they set out South Africa's first mandatory carbon-budgeting system. Affected companies will be expected to register, calculate a company-level carbon budget, prepare a mitigation plan...

The "say-do" or attitude-behaviour gap is glaringly apparent when the social and environmental impacts of the fashion industry is considered by consumers.