Why SA is obligated to impose a coal embargo against Israel

BURDEN OF APARTHEID

- YESH GOVENDER

OUR country, South Africa, is among the largest global coal producers and one of the recipients of our coal is Israel. Yes, the same Israel currently perpetrating genocide against the Palestinians.

If that's not enough of an indictment, it’s the same Israel which is administering an apartheid-style system that oppresses the Palestinians. The same Israel that South Africa charged with genocide at the International Court of Justice.

How is this possible? The country that defeated the original apartheid system now supplies an existing apartheid state with essential mineral resources? This is a travesty. A travesty of history, and a travesty of morality. As so often stated, context is essential.

At the centre of it all is Glencore, the Anglo-Swiss mining giant. A mining company with a particularly dark reputation, accused of being at the centre of multiple corruption and human rights abuses in South America and Africa, including the volatile Congo region.

In May 2022, Glencore International entered into a plea agreement with the United States government, pleading guilty to contravening the United States’ Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

The alleged abuses centred around Glencore, particularly those directed at the indigenous communities located close to Glencore mining operations, has birthed an international "Resist Glencore" movement.

In South Africa, Glencore mines coal (primarily in Mpumalanga Province). This coal is then transported to Richards Bay Coal Terminal in KwaZulu-Natal, loaded onto ships and delivered to various Israeli ports. Since October 2023, at least 16 coal shipments have been delivered from Richards Bay to Israeli ports.

Once the coal reaches Israel, it is used in Israeli power stations to produce energy. This is the coal supply chain leading from South Africa to Israel.