Johannesburg, South Africa — South Africa’s Informal Miners Struggle Amid Energy Transition. South Africa’s coal heartland in Mpumalanga province is home to thousands of informal miners who toil in dangerous conditions, extracting coal from illegal mines to provide power to local communities.
As the country moves towards a green energy future, these miners fear they will be left behind.
Cyprial, an informal miner who spoke under a pseudonym to avoid retaliation, described the risks he faces daily: “You know when you’re getting in that the upper surface is a stone. Might it happen that it falls down, it can kill me.
That’s what you must face when you get inside, “he. “.
Take all the fears, shove it away. I don’t know how but … we try.”
South Africa is among the world’s top coal producers, with coal powering about 80% of the country’s electricity.
Officials commented on the matter. “This coal, we transport it to communities so those people can use it to cook and to warm themselves, “said Jabulani Sibiya, chair of Ermelo’s artisanal miners’union.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has called miners like these a “menace “to the country’s economy and security, and authorities are trying to stamp out the activity.
Analysts estimate there were more than 40,000 illegal miners in South Africa in 2021, though most operated in abandoned gold shafts.
As the country transitions to renewable energy sources, supported by a $8. 5 billion Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) deal with wealthy nations, informal miners are concerned about their future. “.
For us, ‘just transition’ means transitioning from large-scale, destructive extraction form of mining, into a sustainable, artisanal and small-scale mining sector, “said Zethu Hlatshwayo, spokesperson for the National Association of Artisanal Miners.
In Ermelo, locals fear that the government — led transition to green energy might leave them behind again. “It will not be a just transition if our people are left behind, “Hlatshwayo added.
The formal coal sector employs more than 100,000 people in direct and indirect jobs across the value chain, according to research from the University of Cape Town. Informal miners argue that formalizing their work could provide critical income for locals in a region where unemployment exceeds 34%. Further details are expected as the government navigates the complexities of the energy transition, ensuring that informal miners are not left in the dark.
Source: South Africa’s informal miners fight for their future in coal’s twilight — Africanews.
*Additional reporting by ImNews | Sources consulted: 5*
