Some of South Africa's most important climate battles are being fought in courtrooms and Ntombi Maphosa, 33, is among those helping to lead the charge. The attorney in the Centre for Environmental Rights's Pollution and Climate Change Programme is using the law as a tool to protect communities living on the frontline of industrial pollution and the climate crisis. Holding an LLM in international economic law from the University of the Witwatersrand, Maphosa combines strategic litigation with advocacy to hold polluting industries accountable for violating air quality laws. Working alongside community organisations, she champions environmental justice for those whose health and livelihoods are most affected.
She played a leading role in the landmark Deadly Air litigation, in which the Supreme Court of Appeal upheld that the state has an immediate constitutional obligation to protect people from harmful air pollution. She is also leading litigation challenging Eskom's exemption from complying with air pollution laws at eight coal-fired power stations - a case that could redefine the limits of regulatory leniency for major emitters.
Judge Molatelo Robert Makhura has been a defining influence, teaching her that excellence is built on preparation and attention to detail. Her advice to her younger self is equally practical: keep more doors open than you think you'll need you'll never regret having more choices.