Community Voices
March 29, 2022
Upholding Section
The MEJCON Steering Committee, joined by alumni of the Rights & Remedies course for activists, received training from the Centre for Environmental Rights on how to report environmental violations to relevant government departments.
Section 24(b) of the Constitution provides that “everyone has the right to have the environment protected, for the benefit of present and future generations, through reasonable legislative and other measures
Last July, the Centre for Environmental Rights launched the environmental violation reporting portal in an effort to assist community members in reporting violations in and around their communities. The portal was created in consultation with the government departments, the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, the Department of Water and Sanitation, and the Department of Mining Resources and Energy.
Alongside this portal, a step-by-step animation video guide was launched to show users how to navigate the portal.
Watch the tutorial here.
During the training, participants had an opportunity to share about some of the environmental violations they live with on a daily basis. They were as follow:
- Water shortages and leakages
- Air pollution
- Lack of consultation
- Threats to protected areas
If you and your community are experiencing similar environmental violations, and others threatening your right to a healthy environment, report them by visiting www.cer.org.za/reportviolation.