Women now have a place in a labour-intensive workplace with heavy machinery designed for muscle, but a rough industry is struggling to get to grips with their presence underground Tholakele...
Activists face uphill battles when they push back against mining companies. Their stories include violence, secret deals, a lack of access to information and unenforced laws. Mark Olalde investigates ...
Communities affected by mining in South Africa live under a double-edged sword. Geojournalism helps them to participate in governance and compliance monitoring...
Mark Olalde revisits the fracking debate, and finds both sides digging in for a protracted fight as legislation and the benefits of shale gas mining become murkier...
Montepuez ruby mine has been turned into a 'militarised zone' where villagers are beaten and illegal miners are killed, reports Estacio Valoi...
Added to the crippling drought in South Africa are mining’s long-term impacts on water security. Mark Olalde investigates the costly legacy of historic mine waste...
It could take R30-billion to clean up thousands of abandoned mines scattered around South Africa. Who’s going to do it? And what are the implications for active and new mines?...
Controversial plans to strip-mine phosphate next to the West Coast National Park are forging ahead, despite confusion over the new One Environmental System. Marie-Louise Antoni investigates...
The battle for Mabola is a test case for laws around prospecting and mining in a protected environment. The area is vital to South Africa's water security...
Is it worth digging up a biodiversity and heritage hotspot for fertilizer? Marie-Louise Antoni investigates plans to mine phosphate on the doorstep of the West Coast National Park...