Yolandi Groenewald
Yolandi Groenewald is a South African environmental reporter, particularly experienced in the investigative field. After 10 years at the Mail & Guardian, she signed on with City Press in 2011. Her investigative environmental features have been recognised with numerous national journalism awards. Her coverage revolves around climate change politics, land reform, polluting mines, and environmental health. The world’s journey to find a deal to address climate change has shaped her career to a great degree. Yolandi attended her first climate change conference in Montreal in 2005. In the last decade, she has been present at seven of the COP’s, including the all-important COP15 in Copenhagen in 2009. South Africa’s own addiction to coal in the midst of these talks has featured prominently in her reports.
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/ 29 April 2008

Labour politics

”Making a birthing choice is not a simple affair. I made my choice halfway through my pregnancy and I’m still not sure it’s the best one, but it feels right. During my research I was bombarded with advice about the pros and cons of going natural, ” . Yolandi Groenewald looks into the issue of child birth choices and what effects these have on women.

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/ 25 April 2008

Councillors in dodgy land deal

ANC and opposition councillors of the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Munici­pality stand to gain handsomely from a controversial land deal, which may have robbed the municipality of millions of rands. The M&G reported last week on Flusk’s allegation that land ”worth not less than R100-million” was alienated to developer Rean Booysen for ”the paltry sum of some R7-million”.

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/ 21 April 2008

SAHRC summons ministers

The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) has summoned three Cabinet ministers to respond to allegations that a mining licence application led to human rights abuses. They are Minister of Minerals and Energy Buyelwa Sonjica, Minster of Environmental Affairs and Tourism Marthinus van Schalkwyk and Minister of Land Affairs Lulama Xingwana.

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/ 4 April 2008

New expropriation law challenged

The Expropriation Bill faces a Constitutional Court challenge if ”unacceptable clauses” are not sorted out. Farmers’ union AgriSA says it will not hesitate to approach South Africa’s highest court if ”unconstitutional terms” are not corrected. The Democratic Alliance says it is also willing to challenge the Bill in the Constitutional Court.

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/ 29 March 2008

SAHRC to probe mines

An explosive report on alleged human rights abuses by Anglo Platinum has jump-started a South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) probe into rights abuses throughout South Africa’s mining industry. International human rights organisation ActionAid released the report last Tuesday.

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/ 20 March 2008

Xingwana cited in divorce

Agriculture and Land Affairs Minister Lulu Xingwana is being sued for R100 000 by the estranged wife of acting Land Bank CEO Phil Mohlahlane in a divorce suit. In papers filed this week in the Johannesburg High Court, Mohlahlane’s estranged wife, Joyce, says her husband and Xingwana have conducted an affair since 2006.