In the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa, the expanding Somkhele coal mine is tearing communities apart. Though many locals work for the mine, nearly 150 families have been forcibly relocated as the mine grows. It is destroying pastoral land, causing water shortages and intense health problems. Last year, Fikile Ntshangase, a prominent community environmental activist opposed to the expansion, was assassinated in her home, located a short walking distance from the mine. Calls to investigate her death have been ignored. In an era where it is glaringly obvious that we cannot increase our dependence on fossil fuels, the mine is being expanded, and those who try to combat it face deadly consequences.
Photo by Dominik Vanyi on Unsplash