CAPE TOWN. On Tuesday, the South African High Court held that a series of defamation lawsuits brought by Australian mining company Mineral Commodities Ltd (MRC) and its local subsidiary, against six environmental activists, is an abuse of the legal process.MRC and its subsidiary sued the defendants for a total of ZAR14.25 million (approximately USD 980 000).... continued
Joint Media Statement “I refused to sign. I cannot sell out my people. And if need be, I will die for my people.” Tragically, grandmother Fikile Ntshangase’s words became a reality when she was gunned down in her home at Ophondweni, near Mtubatuba, on the evening of 22 October 2020.Mama Ntshangashe was the Vice-Chairperson of... continued
On 20 October 2020, the Asina Loyiko campaign launched its new website to serve as a resource and connection hub for activists confronted by SLAPP suits (strategic litigation against public participation) and other uses of the law to discourage and silence activism and free speech. The collaborative Asina Loyiko: United Against Corporate Bullying* campaign, launched in 2019,... continued
You are invited to the launch of the Asina Loyiko Website! Please join us for the launch and webinar featuring local and international experts and a keynote address by local hero and activist, Nonhle Mbuthuma of the Amadiba Crisis Committee. RESISTING CORPORATE BULLYING AND INTIMIDATION Around the world, human rights activists are subjected to immense... continued
Today, environmental attorneys and community activists will be defending a defamation matter known as a SLAPP suit where damages amounting to a total amount of R14,25 million is being claimed by controversial Australian mining company, Mineral Resources Commodities (MRC) and its local subsidiary, MSR. The mining company, its CEO Mark Caruso and local director, Zamile... continued
On 30 May 2019, Judge Judith Cloete denied the application by two former CER attorneys and a community activist for subsidiary of Australian mining company MRC to disclose documents relating to the Tormin mineral sands operation near Lutzville on the West Coast. The applicants argue that they require these documents for their defence of the... continued
The Western Cape High Court will today hear a preliminary application in one of three defamation suits launched against lawyers and activists who have been critical of Australian miner Mineral Commodities Limited (MRC)’s Tormin mining operation at Lutzville on the West Coast, and its planned mining operation at Xolobeni in Pondoland on the Wild Coast.In... continued
Today, civil society organisations officially launched a new joint advocacy campaign in Cape Town known as Asina Loyiko: United Against Corporate Bullying. The campaign comes in response to the growing number of corporations, both in South Africa and globally, who use a tactic termed “SLAPP suits” – Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation – to silence... continued