NUM support the Minister of Mineral Resources and energy Gwede Mantashe’s call not to let coal mining go extinct

11 November 2021

The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) is in support of the Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe on his call for Africa to unite against 'coercion' by the global anti-fossil fuel agenda. 

South Africa secured around R131 billion in a bid to transition from coal and Eskom’s grid towards green energy at the COP26 in Glasgow. A partnership between the US, UK, France, Germany and the European Union will together fund South Africa.

South Africa coal has an abundance of coal reserves. It will be very irresponsible for South Africa to stop the use of coal. The NUM in its policy conference agreed to the continued use of coal in a responsible way. We need to start building environmentally friendly power stations. There are different ways in which coal can be made clean by the process of carbon capture and filtration.

The NUM is opposed to the 131 billion offered to South Africa by developed countries so that it can accelerate the closure of coal power stations. The closure of the power stations in Mpumalanga must never be unnecessarily rushed unless it will have a devastating socio-economic impact. South Africa must continue following the Integrated Resource Plan to implement mixed energy. The NUM is also not opposed to renewable energy. 

Developed countries have been using fossil fuel over the years to build their economies. They are responsible for the climate change crisis that we are now facing.

The NUM believes in what COSATU characterized as a fair global deal which means the responsibility to reduce greenhouse gases must be distributed. The developing countries who by the way are emitting fewer greenhouse gases than the developed countries like China and the USA. South Africa as an example is contributing less than 1% of the total global emissions. The NUM refuses to be confused by the unrealistic and unscientific per capita indicator. The per capita emissions indicator which considers the number of people in a country is misleading.

Issued by William Mabapa, NUM Acting General Secretary, 11 November 2021