Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy Hosts Youth at Prominent Mine in South Africa amidst ongoing Cancel Coal Court Case

A group of youth including climate justice activists visited the Khutala coal mine organised by Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, Gwede Mantashe.

Seriti Khutala Colliery, Mpumalanga – 3 November 2023 – A group of youth including climate justice activists from across South Africa visited the Khutala coal mine organised by Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, Gwede Mantashe, against the backdrop of the historic Cancel Coal court case.

The activists belong to several socio-environmental justice organisations, including the African Climate Alliance, Project 90 by 2030, Youth at The South African Institute of International Affairs, the Presidential Climate Commission, the Climate Justice Coalition, SECTION27, African Climate Reality Project,  and the South African Youth Chamber of Commerce. Despite skepticism about Mantashe’s intentions, and his repeated scathing of the work of climate justice organisations, the youth activists attended as part of the ongoing movement to hold mines accountable for their role in the climate crisis and deadly environmental pollution.

This includes the extreme health issues faced by mining-affected communities. It is well known that coal causes health risks ranging from cancer and respiratory diseases like asthma and breathing difficulties, to brain damage, heart problems, neurological disorders, and premature death.

This visit is especially notable in the context of the ongoing Cancel Coal court case which is being led by three applicants – African Climate Alliance, Vukani Environmental Movement, and groundWork. This is the first time in South African history that youth have led on a climate change court case against the government. The case, which is being represented by the Center for Environmental Rights, was officially launched in November 2021 and challenges the inclusion of 1500mW of new coal in South Africa’s Integrated Resources Plan based on the fact that new coal is a threat to the constitutional rights of present and future South Africans. 

"The South African government has a responsibility to protect its people and its environment from the harmful impacts of mining," said Sibusiso Mazomba, a Cancel Coal campaigner with African Climate Alliance. "We demand that the government strengthen its environmental regulations and take steps towards a just transition for all.”

The Khutala mine is owned by Seriti Resources, who operate six large-scale, opencast, and underground thermal coal mines across South Africa, predominantly supplying Eskom power stations. One of the other five mines, New Largo Colliery, is regarded as one of the world's "climate bombs". Seriti is widely known to have profited greatly off the hike in coal prices over the past few years.

The activists were given a tour of the mine and met with mine management to discuss the mine's environmental practices and Gwede Mantashe to discuss South Africa’s energy future. The young activists were also shown how safe it is for workers, told about the many benefits it brings to workers and the community, and told about how Seriti is committed to investing in renewable energy.

However,  Khutala mine has been linked to several environmental and social problems, including:

• Water pollution: The mine is releasing untreated acid mine drainage into watercourses, which has polluted the Upper Olifants River Catchment.

• Air pollution: The mine generates a significant amount of dust, which can cause respiratory problems for people living nearby.

• Climate change: Coal is a major contributor to climate change, and the Khutala mine is one of the largest coal mines in South Africa.

Seriti is also one of the coal mines that has started to invest in renewable energy, both in terms of self-generation for their coal mines and by investing in renewable energy companies. But, this is a small part of their portfolio and doesn't erase the environmental, social, and climate impacts of their coal mines. While Seriti does acknowledge the need to transition away from coal in their just transition statement, they don’t share any clear timelines about their own coal phase out.

“Seriti claims they are an energy company, underpinned by coal who is actively engaged in the just transition to a low-carbon economy, however they fail to acknowledge that coal is the dirtiest, most water and GHG emissions intensive and expensive source of energy that cannot align with the concept of a just low-carbon economy,” says Masego Mokgwetsi, member of Cancel Coal Youth Task Force. 

One of the overarching themes of Minister Gwede Mantashe’s commentary on South Africa’s energy future is that coal needs to remain, because without it the economy will collapse and South Africa’s Development will be halted. “If there is no coal, there is no development,” said Mantashe.

The young activists asked poignant questions that mine management has historically refused to answer publicly regarding:

• The protection of the health and safety of mine workers on site: Minister Gwede Mantashe, as well as the CEO of Seriti, Mike Teke, highlighted that health and safety is a key priority. They noted that only 40 health and safety incidents were reported over the last year with the goal of keeping it below nine. However, this “significant improvement” is being held to an archaic standard of 700 incidents reported in 1995 alone and is 40 incidences too many. 

• The treatment of polluted water on site: The young activists posed this question to numerous executive workers on site. There was visible discomfort followed by one of two responses: 1) Not sure, and 2) Water isn’t treated on site, but is sourced from the dam. These assertions corroborate multiple reports about the mine’s role in contributing significantly to pollution of the upper Olifants river catchment. Furthermore, any extra water that the mine has, with no needed use on the mine, is instead sold back to the community at an additional price hike with the aim of generating profit. 

• Whether Seriti has a Paris Agreement-aligned climate action plan: Seriti has no Paris Agreement-aligned climate action plan. They highlighted that to them, the Just Transition is bigger than a plan as they are already diverting financial resources to Seriti Green which is a renewable energy company. They added that Seriti Green is an energy company that prioritises renewables and coal as opposed to renewables vs coal. This means that the mining company has no tangible framework for meeting South Africa’s climate commitments despite record high extractions on their coal mines that are set to continue increasing until decommissioning in 2038. The minister added that South Africa should instead aim to be net zero by 2070 and not 2050, according to the Paris Agreement, given that other developing countries like China and India are aiming for the same target.

• The vulnerability of Black women in mining communities: Both Mike Teke and Gwede Mantashe did not answer this question. Instead, they spoke about how the mining industry is progressing when it comes to including more women and how they are hiring more women miners.

The visit of the youth environmental justice activists to the Khutala mine is a powerful example of how, as the climate crisis worsens, young people around the world are taking action to hold polluters accountable and build a more sustainable future.