In his State of the Nation address of 26 June 2014, President Zuma called for "a radical transformation of the energy sector, to develop a sustainable energy mix that comprises coal, solar, wind, hydro, gas and nuclear energy ". Not content with building Medupi and...
coal
Transnet: coughing canary in the climate coal mine | by Patrick Bond
Facing the most serious civilizational threat ever, what is the South African government doing? The new Infrastructure Development Act pushed into law by economic development minister Ebrahim Patel will fast-track carbon-intensive mega-projects on behalf of mainly...
“Sinkholes, Starvation and Suffering”: the Legacy of Coal Mining in South Africa? | by David Van Wyk
Even as South Africa marks the two-year anniversary of the Marikana massacre – which marked a decisive turning point for the country's platinum mining sector – extensive new research indicates that the coal mining industry poses a wide range of serious challenges of...
The end of NUM’s hegemony: AMCU and new mlitancy
The Association of Mining and Construction Workers (AMCU) was born in 1998 out of a strike at Douglas Colliery, one of the oldest mines belonging to Ingwe Coal, when 3,000 workers occupied the underground works of the mine in protest against the dismissal of Joseph...
Social and environmental impact of mining
A Mining company can uproot an entire community for the meager sum of R600: a prospecting permit from the Department of Mineral Resources costs only R500 and a mining permit is R100. In contrast, tribal, cultural and community structures in rural areas have been...
Mozambique: The cruel curse of coal | Amandla! Correspondent
Mozambique is emerging as the latest African frontier for extraction and the country has thrown open its rich resources: coal, gas, gold and even oil. Elite formation in the extractive industry between Frelimo (the ruling party) and multinationals is not new - the...
Mozambique: The cruel curse of coal | Amandla! Correspondent
Mozambique is emerging as the latest African frontier for extraction and the country has thrown open its rich resources: coal, gas, gold and even oil. Elite formation in the extractive industry between Frelimo (the ruling party) and multinationals is not new - the...
What the Fuck?
It is not usual to use an expletive in a publication like this, especially one as outrageous as the f word ... but WTF is going on with the post-apartheid state? First 34 mineworkers are killed, many, it would seem from new investigations, murdered in cold blood. And...
Marikana … from June 16 to August 16: 36 years
South Africa is by all accounts the world's richest country in terms of the value of its mineral resources. In 2010 these were valued at $2.5–$4.5 trillion. Mining is a lucrative business opportunity right now. The demand for commodities for the growing economies of...






