Dr Richard Cramer

Research Affiliates and Collaborators

Richard is now a Lecturer for the Department of Private Law and was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the MLiA Chair.

PEER REVIEWED CHAPTERS IN BOOKS  

  1. Cramer, RH & Mostert, H “Losing or Exiting Negatively Valued Ownership in a Climate-Distressed World” in M Habdas, B Hoops, EJ Marais, H Mostert, JAMA Sluysmans & LCA Verstappen (eds) Rethinking Expropriation Law IV: Takings or Climate Justice and Resilience (2024) Eleven International Publishing 371-402. 

 

TECHNICAL REPORTS AND POLICY 

  1. Mostert, H, Cramer, RH, Mathiba, GL, Davids, W, Olivier, NJJ, Sehlabo, ML, Moses, LT, Makonese, R, Molefe, D & Qumba, M “Written Submissions on the Draft Mineral Resources Development Bill, 2025. (GN 6210 of Government Gazette, No. 52704 of 20 May 2025). Prepared by: The South African Research Chair Initiative for Mineral Law in Africa Department of Private Law: Faculty of Law, University of Cape Town South Africa. Available at https://law.uct.ac.za/sites/default/files/media/documents/law_uct_ac_za/2283/uct-mlia-submission-on-mpr-bill-2025.pdf (13 August 2025).
  2. Mathiba, GL, Cramer, RH & Mostert, H  “Commentary on the Draft Guideline for the Compilation of the Mandatory Code of Practice for the Mitigation and Management of COVID-19 Outbreak (GN 262 of GG 43304 of 11 May 2020)” Submission made to the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy on behalf of Mineral Law in Africa response to call for input on the 2020 Draft Guidelines. Available at / http://www.mlia.uct.ac.za/news/commentary-draft-guideline-compilation-mandatory-code-practice-mitigation-and-management-covid (Accessed 21 January 2021). 

CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS 

  1. Cramer, RH “The Implications of the Mineral Resources Development Bill for Historical Mine Dumps and the Abandonment of Rights to Minerals” Presented at Mineral Law in Africa Colloquium IX Swakopmund, Namibia (24 November 2025).
  2. Cramer, RH "Reforming the Law of Abandonment: Sonnendecker Revisited" Paper Presented at the 2023 South African Property Law Teachers Colloquium (SAPLTC) Faculty of Law, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa (2-3 November 2023.
  3. Cramer, RH “The Abandonment of Landownership: Suggestions for Law Reform” Paper Presented at the South African Property Law Teachers' Colloquium, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa (1 November 2018).
  4. Cramer, RH “Waste as Property” (2021) Unpublished Paper presented at conference on Landfill and Waste Treatment 2021 hosted virtually by the Institute of Waste Management of Southern Africa (5 November 2021).
  5. Cramer, RH & Lötter, A “Waste Reclaiming Through a Property Law Lens” (2021) Unpublished Paper presented at conference South African Property Law Teachers’ Colloquium hosted virtually by the University of the Free state, (11 November 2021). Available at https://youtu.be/uleM0sIWRWw (15 December 2021).
  6. Cramer, RH & Mostert, H  “The Duty of the State to Expropriate Property that has Accrued a Negative Value Due to Climate Change” Paper Presentation at the Rethinking Expropriation Law: Takings for Climate Justice and Resilience Conference hosted by the University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands (29-30 September 2022). Agenda Available at https://www.rug.nl/rechten/congressen/archief/2022/takings-for-climate-justice-and-resilience/provisional-programme?lang=en
  7. Cramer, RH Led seminar for Property Law Reading Group on subject of the law of abandonment, virtual seminar (25 October 2022).
  8. Mostert, H  “Effects of COVID-19 for Mines and Mining Communities” at the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs in Consultation with the mining sector stakeholders (MS Teams Virtual Meeting) (17 March 2021) Research Contributors: Cramer, RH , Mudimu, GT, B, Jacobs, PJ, Medium, G, Chege, K, Lötter, A & Mathiba, GL.
  9. Cramer, RH & Mostert, H  “The Duty of the State to Expropriate Property that has Accrued a Negative Value due to Climate Change” presentation at the Rethinking Expropriation Law: Takings for Climate Justice and Resilience conference hosted by the University of Groningen, Groningen (29-30 September 2022). Agenda Available at https://www.rug.nl/rechten/congressen/archief/2022/takings-for-climate-justice-and-resilience/provisional-programme?lang=en.
  10. Mostert, H & Cramer, RH  “Mining Waste, Property and Responsibility” presentation with R Cramer at the Mineral Law in Africa Interdisciplinary Day Seminar on Mining and Waste, May 2016 

PEER REVIEWED MLIA OUTPUTS  

  1. Cramer, RH “Settling the Question of Ownership of Degraded Mining Land: Enabling a Fibrous Future” (2025) 58(1) De Jure Law Journal, 155-180. Available at https://doi.org/10.17159/2225.7160/2025/v58a10.
  2. Cramer, RH “Abandonment of Rights to Minerals Granted in Terms of the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act” (2023) 43(3) Obiter 729-745. Available at https://obiter.mandela.ac.za/article/view/13308.
  3. Cramer, RH “Waste as Property: The Law’s Role in Maximising Value” (2022) 118 South African Journal of Science 1-4. Available at http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0038-23532022000500007.
  4. Cramer, RH “Abandoning the Spouse, Abandoning the House? Abandonment of Co-Ownership Shares in Immovable Property [Discussion of M v M (10751/2000) [2020] ZAGPPHC 155 (20 March 2020)]” (2022) 33(3) Stellenbosch Law Review 548-559. Available at https://journals.co.za/doi/full/10.47348/SLR/2022/i3a10.
  5. Cramer, RH “The Abandonment of Landownership in South African and Swiss law” (2020) 134(4) South African Law Journal 870-906. Available at https://journals.co.za/doi/10.10520/EJC-b505ca223.
  6. Cramer, RH & Vols, M "Hoarding Disorder and the Legal System: A Comparative Analysis of South African and Dutch law" (2016) 49 International Journal of Law and Psychiatry 113-123. 

MLiA EVENTS 

  1. Lötter, A in conversation with Mostert, H  (SARChi: Mineral Law in Africa), Sayidini, B(Vice President: New Ventures UpstreamPetroSA), Kengni, B, Cramer, RH , R Pein, Chege, K, Mathiba, GL(SARChi: Mineral Law in Africa), Van den Berg, HM(University of Namibia), F Mandhu (Universit of Zambia), C Adomako-Kwakye, C, Kirunda, R, Mulenga, M, Lukusa, P, Ngwaku, R, Massyn, H (SARChi: Mineral Law in Africa) & Anstey, D (ENS Africa) “The Impact of Covid-19 on the Mining Sector” (17 November 2021) hosted by the Minerals to Metals forum, Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2ncgcjM3-M (17 January 2022).
  2. Kengni, B, Cramer, RH , Chege, K, Zongwe, LR et al “Panel discussion on Just Transition” (2021) (Facilitated by Mostert, H ) at the CoP II Workshop: Industrial Opportunities in Mining Areas: Technical, Economic, and Regulatory Considerations hosted virtually on (25 November 2021).
  3. POSTERS
  4. Cramer, RH “Abandonment of Land” Poster presentation at the Mineral Law in Africa Colloquium I in Swakopmund, Namibia (17-18 November 2016)
  5. Cramer, RH “Abandonment of Mining Land: Lessons from Scots Law for South Africa” Poster Presented at the Mineral Law in Africa Colloquium V
  6. Cramer, RH “Negative-Value Property: The Law’s Role in Maximising Value” Unpublished Poster Presented at Mineral Law in Africa Colloquium VII, Cape Town, South Africa (31 October 2022).
  7. Cramer, RH “Waste Picking & The Law” Unpublished Poster Presented at the World Resources Forum 2021 Online Ghana & Switzerland (12-14 October 2021). MLIA-Website. Available at http://www.mlia.uct.ac.za/sites/default/files/image_tool/images/357/Posters/Wastepicking%20and%20the%20law%20of%20property%20in%20South%20Africa.pdf (7 February 2021).
  8. Cramer, RH “COVID-19 & MINING: Reflections on a Pandemic” Poster Presentation at the COVID-19 Africa Rapid Grant Fund (CARGF) Reflection and Foresight Convening at NRF Building, Pretoria, South Africa (23-24 October 2023). 

OTHER PUBLICATIONS AND CONTRIBUTIONS 

  1. Cramer, RH “Digging Up the Past in a Pandemic: South African Mining Industry Must Learn From its Mistakes” Daily Maverick (5 May 2021). Available at https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2021-05-05-digging-up-the-past-in-a-pandemic-south-african-mining-industry-must-learn-from-its-mistakes/?utm_campaign=snd-autopilot (5 May 2021). 

MLiA WEBSITE ARTICLES 

  1. Mathiba, GL , Cramer, RH & Mostert, H “Commentary on the Draft Guideline for the Compilation of the Mandatory Code of Practice for the Mitigation and Management of COVID-19 Outbreak (GN 262 of GG 43304 of 11 May 2020)” Submission made to the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy on behalf of Mineral Law in Africa response to call for input on the 2020 Draft Guidelines. Available at / http://www.mlia.uct.ac.za/news/commentary-draft-guideline-compilation-mandatory-code-practice-mitigation-and-management-covid (Accessed 21 January 2021).
  2. Cramer, RH “Mining the Past in a Pandemic: Part III – The Lingering Epidemic” Available at http://www.mlia.uct.ac.za/news/mining-past-pandemic-part-iii-–-lingering-epidemic (6 November 2020).
  3. Cramer, RH “Mining the Past in a Pandemic: Part II – The Great Pandemic on the Rand” Available at http://www.mlia.uct.ac.za/news/mining-past-pandemic-part-ii-–-great-pandemic-rand (19 June 2020).
  4. Cramer, RH “Mining the Past in a Pandemic: Part I – The Great Smallpox Cover-up” Available athttp://www.mlia.uct.ac.za/news/mining-past-pandemic-part-i-%E2%80%93-great-smallpox-cover (23 March 2020).
  5. Cramer, RH “A Victory for Communities Against Eviction in the Mining Context” Available at http://www.mlia.uct.ac.za/news/victory-communities-against-eviction-mining-context (12 December 2018).
  6. Cramer, RH “Recent Developments in South Africa’s Transition to Renewable Energy: Independent Power Producer Deal Ends Up in Court” Available at http://www.mlia.uct.ac.za/news/recent-developments-south-africas-transition-renewable-energy-independent-power-producer-deal (25 July 2018).
  7. Cramer, RH “The Abandonment of Mining and Prospecting Rights: A Not-so Unilateral Transaction” Available at http://www.mlia.uct.ac.za/news/abandonment-mining-and-prospecting-rights-not-so-unilateral-transaction (30 April 2018).
  8. Cramer, RH “An Exit from Landownership in the Mining Context” Available at http://www.mlia.uct.ac.za/news/exit-landownership-mining-context (30 November 2017).
  9. Cramer, RH “Mine Dumps from a Property Law Perspective: Movable Behemoths” Available at http://www.mlia.uct.ac.za/news/mine-dumps-property-law-perspective-movable-behemoths (10 October 2017).
  10. Cramer, RH “Calculating the Environmental Impact of Mining: An Impossible Task?” Available at http://www.mlia.uct.ac.za/news/calculating-environmental-impact-mining-impossible-task (1 June 2017).
  11. Cramer, RH “Illegal Mining: The Problem and Possible Solutions” Available at http://www.mlia.uct.ac.za/news/illegal-mining-problem-and-possible-solutions-richard-cramer (24 May 2016). 

MTM FORUMS 

  1. Lötter, A in conversation witH Mostert, H  (SARChi: Mineral Law in Africa), Sayidini, B(Vice President: New Ventures UpstreamPetroSA), Kengni, B, Cramer, RH , R Pein, Chege, K, Mathiba, GL (SARChi: Mineral Law in Africa), Van den Berg, HM (University of Namibia), F Mandhu (Universit of Zambia), C Adomako-Kwakye, Kirunda, R, M Mulenga, P Lukusa, R Ngwaku, H Massyn (SARChi: Mineral Law in Africa) & D Anstey (ENS Africa) “The Impact of Covid-19 on the Mining Sector” (17 November 2021) hosted by the Minerals to Metals forum (Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2ncgcjM3-M (17 January 2022).
  2. Cramer, RH "The Impacts of COVID 19 on the Mining Sector" Presented a Guest Webinar and Participated in Round Table Discussion onat the Minerals to Metal/Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy Forum (8 April 2020) Available at https://youtu.be/fAHpE38zx5k?list=PLZSbSt_4i6_5OE_pw2LgvkQI5jBA70jUZ (11 May 2020).
  3. Cramer, RH Presented and Participated in Round Table Discussion on “Mine Waste and Closure” at the Minerals to Metal/Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy Forum (26 Augustus 2020) Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qnxko7cvQmA (10 January 2020). 

COVID-19 OUTPUT  

  1. Cramer, RH & Kengni, B (eds) COVID-19 & Mining: Reflections on a Pandemic (2023) Juta. 

QUICK THINKS 

  1. Mostert, H & Cramer, RC "MLiA Quickthinks: Exiting Negatively Valued Ownership in a Climate-distressed World: The Options in South Africa - Richard Cramer and Hanri Mostert in conversation" Available at https://youtu.be/v15Y27Kl3rg (2 February 2023).
  2. MLiA YOUTUBE CHANNEL CONTRIBUTIONS
  3. Mostert, H & Cramer, RH"Exiting Negatively Valued Ownership in a Climate-distressed World: The Options in South Africa - Richard Cramer and Hanri Mostert in conversation" Available at https://youtu.be/v15Y27Kl3rg (2 February 2023).Views: 43.
  4. Lötter, A in conversation with Mostert, H (SARChi: Mineral Law in Africa), Sayidini, B(Vice President: New Ventures UpstreamPetroSA), Kengni, B, Cramer, RH, R Pein, Chege, K, Mathiba, GL (SARChi: Mineral Law in Africa), Van den Berg, HM (University of Namibia), F Mandhu (University of Zambia), C Adomako-Kwakye, Kirunda, R, M Mulenga, P Lukusa, R Ngwaku, H Massyn (SARChi: Mineral Law in Africa) & D Anstey (ENS Africa) “The Impact of Covid-19 on the Mining Sector” (17 November 2021) hosted by the Minerals to Metls forum (Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2ncgcjM3-M (17 January 2022). 

PhD DISSERTATIONS 

  1. Cramer, RH The Abandonment of Landownership: A Proposed Model for Regulated Exit, Available at https://open.uct.ac.za/handle/11427/32560, (Phd-thesis, Faculty of Law, University of Cape Town, 2020). 

LLM MINI DISSERTATIONS CO-SUPERVISION 

  1. Maponya, R Consent and Consultation under IPILRA and the MPRDA concerning Ancestral Land of Customary Communities: Incorporating the Free, Prior, and Informed Consent Principle into South African National Legislation Available at http://hdl.handle.net/11427/42394 (LLM Mini-dissertation, Faculty of Law, University of Cape Town, 2025). Co-supervised with RH Cramer, F Ntwanwisi).
  2. Runganga, D Foreign Direct Investment & Indigenization in Zimbabwe's Platinum Sector: Is the Indigenization and Economic Empowerment Act a Deterrent to Foreign Investors? Available at http://hdl.handle.net/11427/41905 (LLM Mini-dissertation University of Cape Town, Faculty of Law, 2025). (Co-supervised with RH Cramer and A Heyns).
  3. Mpiko, XG The Rationale for State Custodianship of Mineral Resources under the MPRDA: A Conceptual Analysis of Equitable Access to the Mining Industry and Black Economic Empowerment Available at http://hdl.handle.net/11427/42482 (LLM Mini-dissertation University of Cape Town, Faculty of Law, 2025). (Supervised with GL Mathiba with RH Cramer).
  4. Zondo, N A Just Transition towards Sustainable Development: A Legal Analysis of the Transition to a Low-Carbon Economy in the South African Mining Industry in the Context of Sustainable Development Available at http://hdl.handle.net/11427/41190 (LLM Mini-dissertation, University of Cape Town, Faculty of Law, Department of Private Law, 2024) (Co-supervised with RH Cramer and A Heyns).
  5. Tsosane, L Dispute Resolution under Section 54 of the MPRDA: An Imbalance of Conflicting Interests of the Landowner and the Right Holder (LLM Mini-Dissertation ,Faculty of Law, Department of Commercial Law, 2024). (Co-supervised by H Mosterts and RH Cramer).
  6. Ntsanwisi, F Consultation and Consent Under the MPRDA and the IPILRA: A Legal Analysis of the Decision-Making Practices of Customary Communities in South Africa, Available at https://open.uct.ac.za/handle/11427/35988, (LLM Mini-Dissertation, Faculty of Law, University of Cape Town, 2022) Graduated with Distinction in the Dissertation. (Co-supervised with RH Cramer).
  7. Wheeler, KS Local Content Requirements in the South African Extractives Sector: Do South Africa’s Local Content Requirements for the Mineral and Mining Sector Promote Foreign Direct Investment?, Available at https://open.uct.ac.za/handle/11427/36589, (LLM Mini-Dissertation, Faculty of Law, University of Cape Town, 2021). (Co-supervised with RH Cramer).
  8. Mugo, TM Safeguarding Rights of Mining Communities in South Africa: An Analysis of the Legal Mechanisms in Force with a Particular Focus on Community Development Agreements, Available at https://open.uct.ac.za/handle/11427/33839, (LLM Mini-dissertation, Faculty of Law, University of Cape Town, 2021) (Co-supervised with RH Cramer).
  9. Mussa, A Benefit-Sharing of Proceeds from Minerals: A Legal Analysis of the Shortfalls of Tanzania’s New Mining Laws and Regulations on Beneficiation, Available at https://open.uct.ac.za/handle/11427/35948, (LLM Mini-dissertation, Faculty of Law, University of Cape Town, 2021) Graduated with Distinction in the Dissertation. (Co-supervised with RH Cramer).