Transition anything but just

Fears Mokopane poverty may deepen while firms thrive.

- FATIMA VALLEY

As the idea of a green hydrogen-powered economy gains traction globally, a report, Hyped Hydrogen: Hidden Harm, co-authored by Macua/Wamua, (Mining Affected Communities United in Action/Women Affected by Mining United in Action) / ActionAid Netherlands, and Somo (the Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations), raises urgent concerns about hidden costs this industry may impose on mining-affected communities.

For communities like those in Mokopane, where platinum mining has devastated livelihoods, health and access to water, green hydrogen energy projects could be another Trojan horse.

Promising clean energy, it risks perpetuating and deepening exploitation under the banner of sustainability—leaving those on the front lines of mineral extraction to bear the brunt.

In Limpopo, the community's experience with Anglo American Platinum, the most profitable platinum mine in the world, encapsulates the reality of mineral extraction in South Africa: a cycle of poverty for the community, deepened by corporate disregard for basic rights and sustainable development.

Promises of jobs and infrastructure development have materialized only sporadically, if at all, leaving communities to contend with displacement, pollution, sickness, poverty and extreme water scarcity.