Coal is central to socio-economic stability in coal-dependent regions, particularly Mpumalanga, and is South Africa’s largest mining commodity by production volume. Annual production is about 250 million tonnes. It underpins electricity generation (coal-fired power stations), the petrochemical sector, exports and foreign-exchange earnings.

In recent years, some coal has been sold as run-of-mine (ROM) without beneficiation, particularly where end-users can accept lower specifications. This practice has helped maintain stable saleable output in the region despite logistical and infrastructure constraints.

Mpumalanga produces 80–83% of South Africa’s coal. According to technical and policy literature, Middelburg has historically been the core of Mpumalanga’s production, and it currently accounts for 45–55% of Mpumalanga’s output. Government sources consistently describe Middelburg as still being one of the largest contributors.

Employment, according to the Mineral Council Annual Report 2023, is over 90 000 people, making it one of the country’s largest mining employers. With transparent job assumptions, opencast coal in the Highveld delivers 0.35–0.6 direct jobs per kt ROM/year. Mining operations are contractor-heavy, and mechanisation reduces headcount over time. The jobs created are steady direct jobs, not short-term construction spikes. These are consistent with Highveld opencast norms reported across owners and contractors at the newly developed sites.

There have been several new Highveld mines established in the last three years. They are shorter-lived (10–20 years) and less labour-intensive than the legacy mines. Of the three recently established mines, it was indicated that their Life of Mine is between 10 and 20 years each, with a total of approximately 1 000 steady direct jobs.

There are some legacy coal mines with decades of coal reserves, some with up to 50 years of coal. Given the number of jobs linked to coal mining, the large number of unemployed youth, and an established energy sector, why the drive for a Just Energy Transition? Surely there are innovations available to turn coal into gas, or to produce cleaner, cheaper electricity to meet carbon tax demands