CSOs 4 Tailings Justice

Daily Maverick’s geo-journalism investigation reveals how Thubelihle in Mpumalanga and other townships suffer the worst of SA’s coal pollution crisis.

(Part 1): The Mpumalanga town where South Africans suffer most

By Ethan van Diemen

Thubelihle, a township in Mpumalanga, appears unremarkable on a map — until the layers are added: coal plants, population density, lack of healthcare and clouds of ash. It’s here that our geo-journalism investigation reveals how pollution settles hardest where people are most vulnerable. Read more on DM here

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(Part 2) Photo Essay: Living and dying in Thubelihle

By Ethan van Diemen

In part 2 of Daily Maverick’s mapping project on air pollution, we see and hear from community members in Thubelihle, Mpumalanga. Read more

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(Part 3): Mapping SA’s most at-risk communities

By Lieke Heuvelmans

Using Google Earth Engine, Daily Maverick layered satellite-derived pollution exposure data with indicators of vulnerability, including poverty, lack of healthcare access and proximity to emissions sources, to identify one of South Africa’s most at-risk communities.