Exploring Race, Reparations, and Environmental Justice
Southern Africa Resource Watch (SARW) participated in the Lost in Transition: Race, Reparations & Environmental Justice convening held on 10–11 June 2025 at the University of the Witwatersrand. Hosted by the Centre for Applied Legal Studies (CALS), the event brought together scholars, lawyers, and activists to examine how colonialism, slavery, and racial capitalism continue to shape environmental harm and extractive industries today.
Highlighting Extractivism’s Racialised Legacy
In its presentation, SARW examined the racialised legacy of extractivism in Southern Africa and emphasised the urgent need for reparations and a just, inclusive energy transition. Drawing on grassroots experiences, SARW highlighted ongoing environmental injustices faced by mining-affected communities, particularly the gendered impacts and barriers to clean water, legal recourse, and participation in decision-making.
Advocating for Beneficiation and Structural Change
SARW also advocated for Africa’s industrialisation through local beneficiation of critical minerals, cautioning that the global energy transition risks replicating colonial dynamics if African countries remain locked into raw material exports. The organisation called for a reparative and redistributive approach that centres community agency and ensures meaningful participation at all stages of the mining life cycle.
Commitment to People-Centred Resource Governance
The convening affirmed SARW’s continued commitment to building grassroots-to-policy pathways, supporting legal empowerment, and collaborating across borders to promote transparent, equitable, and people-centred resource governance in Southern Africa.
