Project by Andries Motau
Aim of the Project
To assess the tensions within and role of civil society in the just and fair transition to a climate-resilient and low carbon economy, through a case study of the Mpumalanga coal fields in South Africa.
Objective
- To understand the landscape in terms of stakeholders and civil society organisations in the case study area and examine the Life After Coal campaign.
- To understand the current tensions and synergies between different stakeholders in relation to both coal mining and coal-based power generation, and the drivers from both the pro and anti-coal lobbies the success of civil society in environmental management in coal mining.
- To assess the effectiveness of civil society organisations in terms of their ability to effect change in policy and practice.
- To identify the role of civil society can play in achieving sustainable development.
Questions to be Asked
- Who are the stakeholders and civil society organizations in the case study area and what is the Life After Coal campaign?
- What are the current tensions and synergies between different stakeholders in relation to both coal mining and coal-based power generation, and the driver from both the pro and anti-coal lobbies the success of civil society in environmental management in coal mining?
- How effective are civil society organisations in terms of their ability to effect change in policy and practice?
- What role can civil society play in achieving sustainable development?
Location of the Study (For Empirical Studies Only)
The initial scoping of the study will take place in Hendrina where the are power plants closing down while there is a lookout for establishing a new coal mine (along the border of the Kruger Park). Also, the study will be scoped in Mpumalanga near the village of Wakkerstroom where eight civil society organisations won a court order against the authorization of a mine in the Mabola Protected Environment. The study will also take place in the province of Mpumalanga in the town of eMalahleni which was previously known as Witbank. eMalahleni is found within the eMalahleni Local Municipality in the Highveld of Mpumalanga. eMalahleni is home to about 108, 673 people and one of its economic drivers is coal as the area is well known for coal mining.
This location was selected because coal mining in eMlahleni has resulted in many environmental protection organizations being involved in the area and one of the organizations being groundWork. The work of groundWork in the Highveld has led to the addition of eMalahleni as part of the areas that the Life After Coal campaign is involved in. The involvement of eMalahleni has seen groundWork with the help of local communities publishing a report titled “Destruction of The Highveld” which is a way of showing the negative effects of coal mining in the area. Moreover, the continuous work that groundWork is doing in eMalahleni as part of the Life After Coal campaign makes this location suitable for the study.
