Mining Companies 'SLAPP' South African Environmental Activists

African citizens and local community groups which campaign on environmental issues are increasingly being sued by corporations in what activists regard as attempts to silence them. In South Africa, environmental attorneys and community activists are defending a defamation action in which an Australian mining company is claiming damages totalling more than U.S. $830,000. allAfrica's Andre van Wyk and Jerry Chifamba analysed the matter and spoke to experts to determine what repercussions the case and its ruling could have on the future of environmental law.

InFocus

The Tormin minerals sands mine on the West Coast near Vredendal that generates close to 97% of all revenue for controversial Australian mining company Mineral Commodities Ltd (file photo).

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