Breaking out of dependence on coal is a crucial issue for South Africa. In the country, more than 80% of electricity is produced using coal. With the COP26 which is being held in Glasgow until November 12, South Africa hopes to obtain commitments to finance its energy transition and close its power plants. It is a question of environmental protection and public health.
The coal-fired power stations of the state-owned Eskom are concentrated in thehe mining region of Mpumalanga. It’s about most polluting electricity producer in the world according to a recent study. In question, sulfur dioxide, a toxic gas emitted in excessive quantities and which causes respiratory problems. Added to this is the dust from the mines that cover the Highveld territory in the Mpumalanga region.
In the township of Kwa-Guqa, we hear the sound of the nebulizer, a small electrical device that helps the girls of Mbali Mathebula when they have an asthma attack. “I think it’s because of the air pollution, because it’s very dirty. It’s because of the mines. Because when you change provinces, my daughter feels better. very angry. They don’t even come here to check that all is well in the community. “, she worries.
“I don’t see any good in the mines, they are here just to destroy everything.”
Mbali Mathebula, resident of the township of Kwa-Guqato franceinfo
Mbali Mathebula does not depend financially on mines. She is unemployed. But it is a sector that employs nearly 100,000 people in South Africa. In the township of Phola, with her clinic, Thabile Masemula, a nurse testifies to the residents’ difficulties. “Most have asthma, chest pain, difficulty breathing. This is even more true in children who have problems with nasal congestion, sneezing, which may be air related. of Phola which is loaded with dust. ” NGOs have been alerting the authorities to this situation for several years. They even decided to take the government to court.
Greenpeace and other NGOs commissioned a study in 2017 on the pollution of power plants. It would cause 2,200 deaths per year. NGOs accuse the government of violating the constitutional right to a healthy environment. Promise Mabilo is a member of the NGO VEJMA. “I know a lot of people are sick”, she explains. “It does mean that there is a problem. Our land is contaminated, our water is contaminated, there is nothing good or healthy in our environment. It is a crisis, it is a very serious problem. “
“Doctors tell us, ‘the best solution is to move.”
Promise Mabilo, member of the NGO VEJMA.to franceinfo
A crisis that will perhaps have echoes at the COP26 where South Africa, like others, asks for a minimum envelope of 100 billion dollars per year to finance the ecological transition of developing countries. Closing most South African power plants by 2050 would cost a tenth of that amount.