South Africa's illegal miners fight for their future in coal's twilight

In Ermelo, eastern Mpumalanga, hundreds of young people work in informal coal mines, extracting coal under dangerous conditions. Local miners said many entered the sector due to limited economic opportunities and the high cost of electricity in the region. Community leaders noted that the coal supported local households, providing fuel for cooking and heating.

JabulaniSibiya, chairperson, Ermelo community artisanal miners said "This thing we are doing here is playing a big role to the communities. Because this coal, we transport it from here to communities. So those people they use [it] to cook, to make it warm themselves." 

Informal miners worked in near pitch-black conditions, facing constant risks from falling rock and unsafe tunnels. Residents added that they had not benefitted from large-scale commercial mining in the area. Advocates called for a “just transition” to a sustainable, small-scale mining sector that included historically disadvantaged communities.