groundWork, an environmental non-governmental organization, filed the challenge against Environmental Affairs Minister Nomvula Mokonyane and President Cyril Ramaphosa in the Pretoria High Court, saying the government broke the law by not publishing the amendments for comment before enacting the legislation. The law is beneficial to power company Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd. and Sasol Ltd., which produces fuel and chemicals from coal, it said.
“If the court agrees with groundWork, big sulfur-dioxide emitters like Eskom and Sasol will have to act immediately to reduce their pollution,” the organization, which is being represented by lawyers from the Centre for Environmental Rights, said in a statement. “This will requite significant capital expenditure.”
South Africa relies on coal for most of its power, with Eskom running some of the world’s biggest coal-fired power plants and spending tens of billions of dollars building two more. Albi Modise, a spokesman for the Department of Environmental Affairs, declined to comment. The limit of 1,000 milligrams of the pollutant per normal cubic meter is significantly more lax than standards in China and India, according to groundWork. The group said sulfur dioxide leads to increased incidences of low birth weights and still births and contributes to acid rain.
About 25 facilities in the country are affected by the legislation, ranging from plants operated by Eskom and Sasol to coal boilers at the operations of paper and pulp producers Sappi Ltd. and Mondi Ltd., groundWork said in its founding affidavit.
We have summarized this news so that you can read it quickly. If you are interested in the news, you can read the full text here. Read more:
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
BUSINESS MAVERICK: South Africa is not the only regional economy with a debt problemSouth Africa was not the only economy in the region to suffer a lost decade or ‘nine wasted years’, to quote President Cyril Ramaphosa. In some ways mirroring Pretoria’s trajectory, many African economies have been racking up concerning levels of debt against a backdrop of relatively sluggish growth. Part of this stems from continued reliance on natural resources. The failure to diversify or industrialise is one reason why so much of the past decade has been lost.
Source: dailymaverick - 🏆 3. / 84 Read more »
Business Maverick: India’s Bharti Airtel Plans to Kick Off IPO of $5 Billion Africa Phone UnitBharti Airtel Ltd., India’s second-biggest wireless carrier, is preparing to kick off the initial public offering of its Africa unit in a deal that could raise about $1 billion.
Source: dailymaverick - 🏆 3. / 84 Read more »
Newsdeck: World Bank to Provide $545 Million to Cyclone-Hit Africa NationsThe World Bank said it will provide $545 million of grants to help three southern African nations recover from the effects of Cyclone Idai.
Source: dailymaverick - 🏆 3. / 84 Read more »
Newsdeck: S. Africa Signs for South Sudan Oil Block After $1 Billion PlanSouth Africa signed a deal on an oil block in South Sudan as part of a $1 billion investment in the country emerging from civil war. Only the politicians nest of vipers will score from this deal. Any future revenue will go to their pension fund holdings offshore!! More graft being set up crimemind3 The naive assumption being that the risk-adjusted return on an investment in a complex project in a normally war-ravaged country is above than the cost of the US dollar debt used to invest in it. The cluelessness of the cANCer is truly staggering.
Source: dailymaverick - 🏆 3. / 84 Read more »
'Avengers: Endgame' shatters African box office recordsMarvel’s Avengers: Endgame film has not just shattered American and global cinema records but also box office records in South Africa, East Africa and West Africa.
Source: Channel24 - 🏆 48. / 51 Read more »
South Africa is one of the fastest growing music streaming markets in the worldSouth Africa is second on the list of countries with most notable streaming growth.
Source: Channel24 - 🏆 48. / 51 Read more »
Half a billion dollars raised for cyclone aid in southern AfricaThe World Bank on Friday announced that it has mobilised up to $545m in new resources to help people in Mozambique, Malawi, and Zimbabwe affected by Cyclone Idai.
Source: TimesLIVE - 🏆 28. / 59 Read more »
We tried to 'pick' this popular padlock in South Africa - and succeeded on the first tryWe tried to 'pick' this popular padlock in South Africa - and succeeded on the first try | BISouthAfrica
Source: News24 - 🏆 4. / 80 Read more »
South Africa: Tributes pour in for City Press journalist killed in hit-and-run in SowetoCity Press journalist Ngwako Modjadji was killed in an apparent hit-and-run on Saturday night, the publication said in a statement.
Source: dailymaverick - 🏆 3. / 84 Read more »
Media freedom remains under threat in Southern Africa, says Amnesty InternationalMedia freedom in SA is regarded as guaranteed but fragile and the country's position in an international ranking has slipped
Source: BDliveSA - 🏆 12. / 63 Read more »
World Bank donates R7.8bn to cyclone-hit southern AfricaMozambique will use the funds to rebuild water supply systems and damaged public infrastructure, among other things.
Source: TheCitizen_News - 🏆 6. / 75 Read more »