The Mining Affected Communities United in Action (MACUA-WAMUA) will be launching a report on Monday, the 11 November 2024, titled “Hyped Hydrogen: Hidden Harm,” in partnership with ActionAid Netherlands and SOMO.
Speaking about the report, Magnificent Mndebele, Spokesperson of MACUA, said “the report highlights urgent concerns about South Africa’s emerging green hydrogen sector and the severe risks it poses to mining-affected communities, particularly in Mokopane, Limpopo.”
He said as green hydrogen gains traction worldwide as a “clean energy” solution, the report reveals that, for communities already facing the devastation of platinum mining, the energy transition could deepen inequalities under the pretence of sustainable development.
The report has used the experience of Mokopane’s residents with Anglo American Platinum to emphasize the environmental, social, and economic costs of mining on communities.
“Despite promises of job creation and local development, the community in Mokopane has to contend with displacement, polluted water sources, severe health impacts and persistent poverty. Women shoulder a disproportionate burden, carrying out unpaid labor to sustain households in increasingly degraded environments” said Mndebele.
The report also shows how community demands are not met, such as for Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) and adherence to Social and Labour Plan (SLP) commitments.
“Their voices are excluded from critical decisions about the future of their land and resources.Green hydrogen, which relies on platinum as a key component, requires significant water resources for production. Which is a troubling reality for Limpopo as a water-scarce region where residents already face challenges in accessing clean water. The risk of severe water depletion, compounded by increasing corporate water use, threatens to further disadvantage communities like Mokopane, all while resources are directed into global markets and Northern economies under the promise of sustainability.”
MACUA-WAMUA’s report calls for an energy transition that genuinely includes South Africa’s marginalised communities and addresses the historic and ongoing injustices they face.
Without meaningful engagement with mining-affected communities and a firm commitment to FPIC, the green hydrogen industry risks becoming yet another example of exploitation dressed as progress.
Through this report launch, MACUA-WAMUA is amplifying the demands of Mokopane’s residents and calling for an energy system that prioritises their needs and rights.