On the 1st of August 2013, activists protested Vedanta Plc's unholy alliance with Anglo American Thermal Coal in both Johannesburg and London.

Anglo and Vedanta plan to build another coal-fired power station in the Lephalale area in Limpopo Province, harming the health of residents and polluting both the local and global environments.

In Johannesburg, Earthlife Africa held a picket at Anglo American's headquarters. The demonstration was carried out in solidarity with the demonstration in London: there, Foil Vedanta and supporters voiced their disapproval about Vedanta's inhumane business practices during Vedanta's annual general meeting.

"Today, we protest in solidarity with anti-Vedanta activists all over the world," states Lerato Maregele, Education and Youth Officer at Earthlife Africa Johannesburg.

"For us, this picket is part of a series of protests that will continue until Anglo stops hurting this country and the world. As Anglo American and Vedanta want to build yet another climate killer, we confront Anglo with their poor energy choice."

On the 6th of August 2013 and in Johannesburg, Earthlife Africa Jhb and partner organisations will march on the headquarters of Anglo American. They will demand that Anglo stops building dirty coal-fired power stations and instead invests in clean renewable options.

The planned new coal-fired power station would supply Anglo's as well as Vedanta's operations. With part of the planned capacity potentially being fed into the grid, South African citizens would hand an estimated R2.5 billion in electricity sales over to Anglo American and Vedanta.

Vedanta Plc and its subsidiaries are infamous for human rights violations, environmental damage and non-transparent business practices.

If granted environmental approval by the Department of Environmental Affairs, the power station and mine complex (on a conservative estimate) will emit about 4.74 megatonnes (Mt) of CO2 a year, with a high estimate of 9.7Mt of CO2 a year.

Every day, the power station will create 6,800 tonnes of toxic ash containing the radioactive elements uranium and thorium. The plant will pollute the air with as of yet unknown quantities of particulate matter, mercury, arsenic, chromium, nickel, nitrous oxides and sulphur oxides.

It will consume 68,500 litres of water an hour, and 30 tonnes of limestone a day. All of this in a formerly pristine area of South Africa: Anglo American is helping to turn the Waterberg into Witbank, an area which has some of the worst air quality in world.

Additional Information

Earthlife Africa Jhb has provided information on its website about the planned coal-fired power station. A fact sheet about Anglo American's and Vedanta's plans, its impacts and implications can be downloaded from the website or accessed via here.

Foil Vedanta is an independent grassroots campaigning organisation focused primarily on the British-Indian mining giant Vedanta Resources Plc (www.foilvedanta.org).

For more information, please contact:

Makoma Lekalakala

Programme Officer, Earthlife Africa Jhb

Office: 011 339 3662

Cell: +27 82 682 9177

Email: makoma [at] earthlife.org.za

Tristen Taylor

Project Coordinator, Earthlife Africa Jhb

Office: 011 339 3662

Cell: 084 250 2434

Email: tristen [at] earthlife.co.za