‘Cancel Coal’ case victory as high court rules Mantashe’s plans for new coal are unconstitutional

Climate activists and affected Mpumalanga communities demonstrate outside the Pretoria High Court in support of the legal challenge against the South African government’s plans to develop 1,500MW of new coal-fired electricity generation, heard for the first in court on 9 October 2024. (Photo: Julia Evans)

By Julia Evans – 5 December 2024

In a landmark ruling that saw young environmental activists triumph, the high court has overturned the government’s plans to add 1,500MW of new coal-fired power to the national grid, saying they are ‘unlawful and invalid’.

On Wednesday, 4 December, the High Court of South Africa (Gauteng Division) handed down a landmark judgment, declaring the government’s plan to add 1,500 megawatts (MW) of coal-fired power to the national grid to be inconsistent with the Constitution, as well as “unlawful and invalid”…

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