WeeklySA_AdminSMOG: Communities in Mpumalanga, South Africa’s energy heartland, say the coal powering South Africa’s economy is slowly poisoning the people living closest to it…
By Farai Shawn Matiashe
Sharon Mbonani spent much of her childhood in and out of clinics in eMbalenhle, a township in Mpumalanga, battling chronic sinus infections she once believed were simply seasonal.
It was only years later, during an environmental workshop organised by Greenpeace, that the 30-year-old mother of one realised the real cause might have been the air she had breathed her entire life.
“I thought it was something that comes with the seasons,” she says. “It affected me my entire life. I took a lot of pills for sinus disease and medication for allergies.”
Her story mirrors that of thousands of residents across Mpumalanga — South Africa’s coal heartland — where communities living near coal mines and power stations are battling respiratory illnesses and other health complications linked to severe air pollution.
Mpumalanga produces more than 80% of South Africa’s coal, and about 11 of Eskom’s 14 coal-fired power stations are located in the province.Coal still dominates South Africa’s energy system. According to the International Energy Agency, about 69% of the country’s energy supply comes from coal.
The province plays a critical role in the national economy, contributing roughly 6.1% of South Africa’s R4.6-trillion GDP in 2024 while employing tens of thousands of workers.
But the economic benefits have come with a growing human cost.
Coal-fired power stations and mines release sulphur dioxide and fine particulate matter, microscopic particles that penetrate deep into the lungs and bloodstream.
According to the 2025 Lancet Countdown Report, South Africa has the highest mortality rate from coal-related air pollution in Africa, at 16 deaths per 100 000 people.
More than 21 000 deaths were linked to coal pollution in 2022 alone.
Research by Greenpeace Africa and the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air estimates that air pollution costs the country roughly $52 billion (R832 billion) every year, largely due to premature deaths and health complications.
Loss and illness in the coal belt
For residents in eMbalenhle, these statistics translate into daily hardship.
Mbonani lost her one-month-old baby in 2017, a tragedy she believes was linked to pollution-related illness.
Her surviving son also suffered recurring respiratory infections until she eventually moved him away from the area.
“It was a terrible experience where you have just lost your child, and you are on the verge of losing another,” she says.
Her mother also had to relocate to Johannesburg after suffering decades of skin infections that seemed to improve whenever she left Mpumalanga.
“Whenever my mom would be away, she would get better. But it gets worse when she is here.”
Fifty-five-year-old Khehla Mahlangu says residents in his community have endured decades of toxic dust from nearby coal mining operations.
“My community is highly affected by air pollution as we live next to a coal mining company whose activities cause toxic dust in the air,” he says.
Mahlangu says years of exposure eventually cost him his eyesight.
A pollution hotspot
Environmental researchers say Mpumalanga has become one of the continent’s most serious air-pollution hotspots.
In some parts of the province, annual concentrations of fine particulate pollution exceed World Health Organisation guidelines by four times.
Cynthia Moyo, climate and energy campaign lead at Greenpeace Africa, says the pollution does not stop at the province’s borders.
“Millions of people outside Mpumalanga, including in Gauteng, are affected by the pollution generated there,” she says.
A transition under debate
The crisis has intensified calls for South Africa to shift toward renewable energy.
In 2021, the country launched the Just Energy Transition Partnership, securing $8.5-billion in international support from several Western governments to help move away from coal.
However, the plan faced a setback in March 2025 when US President Donald Trump withdrew about $1.5-billion in funding.
So far, around $583-million (R9.3-billion) has been allocated to projects supporting renewable energy, green hydrogen, new energy vehicles and worker reskilling.
But the transition remains contentious.
Labour unions and some political leaders warn that closing coal mines could devastate local economies dependent on the industry.
Legal experts argue that the country’s Constitution requires economic development to be balanced with environmental protection.
Melanie Jean Murcott, an adjunct associate professor of law at the University of Cape Town, says the Constitution guarantees citizens the right to an enviroment that is not harmful to their health.
“Growth that is not aligned with this constitutional mandate is unlawful,” she says.
Residents in Mpumalanga say the debate about coal is not abstract. For them, it is about survival.
Mbonani believes the shift to renewable energy must include new jobs and investment for communities that have long powered the nation.
“There is a lot of injustice in our community,” she says. “We are sick, and we want investments in our community.”
As of March 2026, Eskom and the South African government continue to address toxic air pollution in Mpumalanga by balancing urgent public health concerns with severe energy constraints.
According to a recent Daily Maverick report, the primary response involves a strategic, albeit controversial, mix of granting Eskom exemptions from Minimum Emission Standards (MES) at key coal-fired power stations, while simultaneously enforcing strict conditions for emission monitoring, health interventions, and accelerated, though often delayed, “Just Energy Transition” (JET) plans to cleaner energy by 2030.
Coal by the Numbers
69% – Share of South Africa’s energy supply generated from coal
11 of 14 – Eskom coal-fired power stations located in Mpumalanga
21,000 – Estimated deaths linked to coal pollution in South Africa in 2022
16 per 100,000 – Africa’s highest coal-related air pollution mortality rate
$52 billion – Annual economic cost of air pollution to South Africa
