Three Enviroserve managers appeared in the Durban magistrate's court on Thursday 17 August to face charges under the National Environmental Waste Management Act and the related Air Quality Act arising from their alleged mismanagement of the controversial Shongweni Landfill near Durban. A fourth accused, the company's group technical specialist was excused from appearing at court due to illness.

Surrounding communities have been protesting over the past two years about the unbearable, noxious stench they say emanates from Enviroserve's wast managhement plant, causing many to become ill.

The four accused are coastal manager Clive Kidd, group echnical director Esmé Gombault, chief executive officer Dean Thompson, and group technical specialist Dr Johan Schoonraa

If found guilty, the accused could face fines of up to R10-million and/or imprisonment for up to ten years.

Schoonraad authored the company’s disputed toxicology report ... company accused of now trying to "play the race card" to generate support from black neighbourhoods ...

Zuma's family and friends have done huge damage to Eskom, at great cost and risk to the nation. Two experts offer a calm analysis of what needs to be done at Eskom to set SA back on the road to a brighter future.

Where is South Africa going with Eskom?

In a world without environment constraints, where economies of scale and advances in technology resulted in ever-decreasing costs, centralised electricity generation worked well. Lately though, the opposite applies: the cost, by way of environmental damage and compliance with safety requirements, of mega coal and nuclear projects is ever-increasing, while localised generation using renewables is becoming cheaper.

New Age agriculture comes to Cape Town - farming flies for food.

The waste-to-nutrient group AgriProtein has announced it will be expanding its presence in South Africa with two new fly-farming sites, having established the world’s first commercial waste-to-protein fly farm in Cape Town in 2015. It also conducts extensive research projects on the waste-to-nut-rient cycle in South Africa.

CEO Jason Drew said the company was conducting site and environmental evaluations for the two new fly farms and were hoping to start...

Sanlam has no love for dogs. Fees come before affection and a dead man's wishes.

He had no family and was dying of cancer. His only sister, afflicted with Down Syndrome, had died several years earlier. For years, nothing and no-one had been as important to Jonathan Edwards as his two beloved Bull Terriers, Hector and Maggie-May.

But to Sanlam trustees, the executors of his estate, the dogs need to be got rid of: they’re a nuisance, holding up finalisation of an estate and payment of their fees.

Edwards, who ran a business…

Controversial Perth-based Australian mining company MRC (Mineral [Resource] Commodities Ltd) is again in the spotlight. Moving beyond its questionable environmental management practices, MRC has launched at least seven defamation suits against its local critics. Lawyers for the defendants say these cases represent a clear example of Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation (SLAPP) suits.

SLAPP suits are cases brought by powerful corporates...

AmaMpondo defy mega-bridge row pressure.

The amaMpondo community’s fight against the proposed multi-billion-rand N2 Wild Coast toll road that will cut a brutal swathe across their pristine territory continues.

The world-renowned environmental lawyer representing them, Cormac Cullinan, believes that the latest strategy of Sanral (South African  National Road Agency Ltd) to nullify their opposition, is to forge ahead with the construction of two mega bridges at a cost of R3,5 billion [sure to be an underestimate. – Ed]  so that any court may be obliged to approve the completion of the road rather than leave the vast costly structures as white elephants in the middle of nowhere.

Foschini Group offers crumbs instead of fair slice in compensation for infringement of design they deny copying.

A South African retailer who denied stealing a bread bin design from a Cape Town manufacturer went on to offer them cash “to avoid litigation”.

Despite The Foschini Group’s best efforts to convince the design studio from whom they copied the idea, Pedersen+Lennard, that it wasn’t done on purpose, the design house doesn’t believe them.

A unique friendship is developing between Dr Taj Hargey, founder of Cape Town’s Open Mosque in Wynberg, and Rabbi Greg Alexander of the Cape Town Progressive Jewish Congregation. Read on as the two religious leaders swop thoughts  about each other.

There’s little love lost for the former principal of a top Durban high school, who will stand trial later this month, accused of pilfering millions from its coffers. Trevor Kershaw, headmaster o ...

School detention in my neck of the woods is now called "after school reflection”. At break time, it’s “in school reflection”. My son tells me it’s not politically correct to call it detentio ...

Hello Nosey ones. Okay, what is happening in the world of my Umjindi worth writing about? Well, sad to say, not much at all – though perhaps not sad since most of the time it’s absolute rubbish th ...