The Sunday Story: The Coal Life

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🗓️ 17 September 2023

⏱️ 31 minutes

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Summary

South Africa has long been one of the world's largest consumers of coal. But the country is now in the midst of transitioning its energy supply from coal to renewable sources. But when a country moves away from a source of energy like coal what happens to the towns and communities that were built to support the coal industry.

Today on the Sunday Story we bring you a story from Radio Workshop, a podcast in South Africa that works with youth reporters around the continent. Host Lesedi Mogoathe sent youth reporter Siya Mokoena and senior producer Dhashen Moodley to a coal mining town at the center of this transition to find out what happens to people who've built their lives around coal.

Transcript

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0:00.0	I'm Aisha Roscoe and this is a Sunday story.
0:05.3	On this episode, we head to South Africa, an economic powerhouse on the African continent.
0:11.4	For decades, South Africa's enormous electric grid has relied on coal.
0:16.8	Now the country is in the midst of a massive experiment to switch to renewable energy.
0:22.6	This change is expected to vastly reduce pollution, but it may also ruin towns and lives in
0:29.2	the coal belt of South Africa.
0:31.8	For some workers, it feels like the government is destroying their only foothold to a stable
0:36.5	life.
0:38.1	Radio Workshop is a podcast that collaborates with youth reporters at radio stations across
0:43.4	Africa.
0:44.4	Host La Setti McWalkley sent a youth reporter along with a senior producer to a town and
0:50.5	the heart of the coal belt to ask the question, what will happen to people who've built their
0:55.6	lives around coal?
0:59.2	It's Sunday lunch at the Scorsana's home.
1:16.8	And it's written cold.
1:19.8	Nontorosa lays out a feast for her family, her two children and her husband Adam, who
1:25.6	loves the pork ribs.
1:26.6	I like it if that is done by myself at home.
1:36.4	This Scorsana's live in Creole in the northeast of South Africa.
1:40.9	Creole is a small town in an area considered the coal belt region.
1:45.2	Its biggest employer is the coal industry.
1:48.0	Look up any images of Creole on the internet and you'll see lots of pictures of huge power
	...

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