Locked into coal: South Africa’s broken transition
Delayed coal closures are keeping ageing power stations online – raising questions about who is shaping the energy transition, and at what cost. Tulani Ngwenya investigates...
28 April, 2026
Author: Oxpeckers Reporters
Botswana bets on gas boost for flagging economy
Watchdogs are worried about a lack of transparency around a flagship project – and warn against risks for local communities, wildlife and ecosystems. Sello Motseta investigates...
31 March, 2026
Vaal’s Hydrogen Hub: Big promises, empty fields
A flagship green hydrogen project is positioned to support industrial development — but there’s no sign of it, and little awareness among locals. #PowerTracker investigates...
25 March, 2026
Namibia’s oil rush: Who benefits most and who is in charge?
Namibia seems almost certain to become an oil producer by 2030, and the war in Iran has added urgency to its ambitions to become a major energy exporter. John Grobler...
20 March, 2026
Connected, but still in the dark
Thabo Molelekwa investigates how prepaid electricity meters – now common in many municipalities — are encouraging a new form of energy poverty...
02 March, 2026
Uncharted waters: Inside the political battle for control of the Orange Basin oil and gas resource
As Namibia looks set to enter the uncertain waters of the international oil industry, John Grobler analyses the legal and technical challenges emerging as the biggest obstacles...
10 February, 2026
Eswatini’s coal comeback: From green promises to black fuel
The approval of a new thermal coal power project derails the kingdom’s green transition efforts, and marginalises local residents, reports Phathizwe Zulu...
29 January, 2026
Oxpeckers journalists win international anti-corruption award
Oxpeckers associates Andiswa Matikinca and Tatenda Chitagu win major international award for their exposé on lithium smuggling across Southern Africa’s borders...
26 January, 2026
Coal’s slow death in Mpumalanga
As jobs disappear from the coal belt, Middelburg’s economy is buckling. Unpaid rates, collapsing businesses and stalled transition support are deepening the crisis...
20 January, 2026
Broken promises: Why South Africa’s Fairtrade farm workers feel short-changed
The international certification system promised to help dismantle inequalities on wine farms, but many workers say reality falls far short of promises made...
12 December, 2025