This Coal Life: A family's understanding of the Just Energy Transition in the mining town of Kriel

Daily Maverick

22-04-2025

The Skhosanas live a modest yet comfortable life in Kriel, South Africa, and they owe it all to coal. But now, South Africa is moving away from coal in favour of greener, cleaner energy in what the government has called the 'Just Energy Transition'. The transition promises more accessible energy, better jobs, and lower carbon emissions. But what does that mean for those who have built their lives on coal? The world is watching to see how Kriel — and families like the Skhosanas — are going to do it.
This Coal Life, a podcast episode by Radio Workshop, takes us to Kriel, a small mining town in Mpumalanga that is set to close all its coal mines by 2030. With support from the local community radio station eMalahleni FM, Siya Mokoena, a youth reporter at the station, worked alongside senior producer Dhashen Moodley for six months to report this story. After its release, it won Best Standalone Documentary at the IDA Documentary Awards and Best Podcast & Radio at the One World Media Awards.
Dhashen and Siya spent hours with the Skhosanas. From going to church to lunch and the family farm, Dhashen and Siya explored the ins and outs of the Skhosanas' lives, ultimately trying to understand how they will be affected by the Just Transition. One thing is for sure: the lives of coal families across the country are going to change drastically in the coming years.
The need for a transition away from fossil fuels is undeniable. What This Coal Life does is pull back the curtain on the uncomfortable challenges of the Just Transition. What does a transition to cleaner energy mean for a father who has only ever worked in the mining industry? Or for his daughter, who has her sights set on leaving Kriel before it becomes a ghost town? For the first time, the future of the so-called 'children of coal' is unclear.
Following the release of This Coal Life, youth reporters at eMalahleni FM launched the podcast on their radio show. During the show, more than 700 community listeners sent feedback. After hearing the episode, one community member said: 'I am hoping that people will find out about the Just Transition from this podcast. A lot of people don't know about it. It would be so good if this podcast made it out to people and they knew more about this.'
In their feedback, listeners emphasised how the narrative-driven nature of the podcast captured their attention and made them feel like they could relate to the trials and tribulations of the characters. They also noted the need for more support to further unpack what is at stake for their community.
Given this feedback, Radio Workshop facilitated a listening session where the podcast was used as a conversation starter. Fifty community members gathered around youth reporters and an energy expert to share their opinions, worries, and ideas. After the session, one of them reflected: 'I feel like this podcast is perfect for awareness and dialogue. Because when we listened as a group, we had a lot of questions in mind that we'd like to answer with each other, and it gave us an easier view of how this Just Transition will work.' DM