S.Africa must find alternative livelihoods in shift away from coal, says energy minister

Alma Metals

09/11/2021 10:22

CAPE TOWN, Nov 9 (Reuters) - South Africa's shift away from
fossil fuels must generate alternative economic activities in
order to avoid coal mining areas such as Mpumalanga becoming
"ghost towns", energy and mining minister Gwede Mantashe said on
Tuesday. 
    "If we say we must stop fossil fuels, we must find
alternative livelihoods," Mantashe said on the sidelines of the
African Energy Week conference in Cape Town.
    "If we don't have alternative economic activity... then we
are going to see more ghost towns in Mpumalanga."
    The United States, Britain, France, Germany and the European
Union last week announced $8.5 billion of financing to help
South Africa move away from coal and ensure those who work in
the industry can find greener alternatives to make a living.
 urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N2RT18P
    More than 90,000 South Africans were employed in coal mines
in 2020. South Africa aims to use the funds to develop new
sectors like renewables and electric vehicle manufacturing,
which would create jobs as the coal industry is phased out.
    Asked about the detrimental health impacts of coal mining
and combustion in Mpumalanga, Mantashe said coal provides a
livelihood to thousands of people. 
    "If we starve them to death, is that healthier?," he said.  
    An unpublished study by scientists working for the South
African government in 2019 found that more than 5,000 South
Africans die annually in the nation's coal belt because the
government has failed to fully enforce its own air quality
standards.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL8N2RT5E8
    

 (Reporting by Helen Reid in Cape Town, Editing by Ed Osmond)
 ((Helen.Reid@thomsonreuters.com; +27 66 156 5214;))