Natural Justice was founded in 2007 in Cape Town by two lawyers who witnessed firsthand the ‘gap’ between international law and the low levels of local recognition and enforcement of those rights. They founded Natural Justice on a shoestring budget to support Indigenous peoples and local communities to protect their land, culture and resources against invasive and extractive forms of development.
Natural Justice today challenges injustices in a growing number of African countries, including South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Benin, Guinea, and Madagascar. We support communities through direct legal empowerment and representation. Furthermore, we address the root causes of social and environmental injustices through technical assistance and advocacy at the national, regional and international levels. To carry out this work, our lawyers – who are based in Cape Town (Southern Africa Hub), Nairobi (East Africa Hub) and Cotonou (Francophone Hub) – work on a broad spectrum of rights infringements, relating to issues such as land, climate change, extractives and infrastructure projects, conservation and traditional knowledge.
