Jennifer Lee Broadhurst

The Komati power plant community in South Africa suffered after Eskom closed it down in 2022 because workers were not offered new jobs or retrained. Per-Anders Pettersson/Getty Images

February 16, 2026

South Africa is moving away from coal – how mines and power stations could be used for green energy and farming

Sandeep Pai, Duke University and Jennifer Lee Broadhurst, University of Cape Town

The South African government and coal industry need to move fast to set up a plan to turn old coal mines and power stations into job-creating hubs after they close.

A methane gas-filled cloud appears after a 2024 coal mine blast in Mpumalanga, South Africa. Per-Anders Pettersson/Getty Images

October 28, 2025

South Africa’s coal mines are leaking methane – and no one knows how much

Jennifer Lee Broadhurst, University of Cape Town; Brett Cohen, University of Cape Town; Jesse Burton, University of Cape Town, and Nicola Wills, University of Cape Town

South Africa’s coal mines seem to be leaking far more methane than official records show.

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July 15, 2018

Finding ways to keep communities alive after mine closures

Bernelle Verster, University of Cape Town; Cheri-Leigh Young, University of Cape Town; Francois Steenkamp, University of Cape Town; Jennifer Lee Broadhurst, University of Cape Town, and Sue Harrison, University of Cape Town

The devastating impact of mine closures could be avoided with economic and scientific interventions.

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South Africa is moving away from coal – how mines and power stations could be used for green energy and farming

South Africa’s coal mines are leaking methane – and no one knows how much

Finding ways to keep communities alive after mine closures

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