Mintails collapse: case study in how not to close mines
Liquidation leaves a R330-million environmental mess for Gauteng residents, government and other mining companies to clean up. Mark Olalde investigates...
08 August, 2018
Mark Olalde Tag
Mine closure investigations win top award
Pioneering data journalism project on financial provisions for mine closures and rehabilitation is rewarded with top environmental media award...
25 October, 2017
South Africa’s future without coal
The future of electricity generation is no longer guaranteed to the coal industry. Which forms of power will keep the lights on? Mark Olalde investigates...
25 May, 2017
R60-billion held for mines that are never closed
Never-before-seen data shows a fortune has been set aside for mine rehabilitation in South Africa. But large mines are not being properly closed, and the money cannot be touched. Mark...
17 May, 2017
Coal mines leave a legacy of ruin
Oxpeckers publishes never-before-seen data exposing the lack of mine closures, despite R45-billion being held in financial provisions for rehabilitation in 2015. Investigation by Mark Olalde...
07 April, 2017
Ministers sign secret deal to mine strategic water zone
Without any public notification, South Africa’s ministers of environment and mining signed off on a coal mining project in the critical Mabola water catchment in Mpumalanga. Mark Olalde investigates [caption id="attachment_3824"...
15 February, 2017
Mine closures: What’s happening in your back yard?
After an 18-month search, Mark Olalde accessed data on mine closure trust funds, financial provisions for rehabilitation and closure certificates...
15 December, 2016
Seabed prospecting undermines blue economy
Ambitious government plans to grow the oceans economy are threatened by prospecting licences that would open the marine economic zone to phosphate strip mining. Mark Olalde investigates...
11 November, 2016
Tales from the coalface
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 ...
16 September, 2016
The great Karoo stand-off
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...
03 June, 2016