Elma Pollard - 11 Aug 2021 - Women in Lephalale tell of the harsh reality of living next to Medupi

While news of the ‘completion’ of the Medupi power station has been met with both celebration and scepticism, women in Lephalale (in Limpopo) and surrounds, however, are filled with dread of having a pollution-intensive coal-fired power station in their backyard and running at full capacity. In addition to the obvious carbon emissions, Medupi will also emit other dangerous and life-threatening pollutants common for coal-fired plants – including sulphur dioxide, greenhouse gases, nitrogen oxides (NOx), to name a few – into the air.