How long will King Coal continue to glitter?

Daily Maverick · 🇿🇦 public South Africa · Aug 20, 2026 · 872 words · By Stephen Grootes

South African Mining History Economic Pragmatism vs. Environmentalism Energy Transition

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What to know about South African Mining History

Despite growing up in a country that really depended on coal I had no idea of how important it was in my life.

Claims checked 9

Techniques found 2

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center100%

Right0%

6 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Despite growing up in a country that really depended on coal I had no idea of how important it was in my life.

Why it matters

We moved from Cape Town to Johannesburg just in time for the 1985 school year, which meant that the year after that was dominated by the celebrations of Joburg’s centenary.

Common ground

And so I learnt all about the gold industry, how important it was, how it created so much for our economy and how nearly half of all the gold mined by humans had come from this place that my family had just moved to.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Glittering Generalities: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this South African Mining History story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Its Ebitda was R5.6-billion?
How does this story connect South African Mining History with Economic Pragmatism vs. Environmentalism over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-08-20-how-long-will-king-coal-conti…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 2 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 80% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Glittering Generalities 70% confidence

Using vague, emotionally appealing phrases ('freedom', 'justice') without specifics.

Why it matters: Recognizing glittering generalities helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 9 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

info Single Source 4

verified Verified By Reference 2

report Misleading 1

help Insufficient Evidence 1

check_circle Corroborated 1

report

Claim 1: “Its Ebitda was R5.6-billion”

MISLEADING

One source (Investing.com) mentions revenue rising 7% to ZAR 5.6 billion, which contradicts the claim that EBITDA was R5.6 billion and revenue was R22 billion. The figures appear to be conflated or incorrectly attributed in the source provided.

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web search NEUTRAL — Exxaro Resources today announced strong interim financial results, especially for the coal and energy business for the six-month period ended 30 June 2026.
https://www.exxaro.com/

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web search NEUTRAL — EBITDA.Exxaro Resources reported a mixed set of interim results for the six months ended June 30, 2026, with revenue rising 7% to ZAR 5.6... Investing.com. Aug 20, 2026.
https://www.investing.com/equities/exxaro-resources-ltd

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web search NEUTRAL — Exxaro Resources LimitedJSE:EXX Stock Report. Market Cap R43.4b.Up from R218, the current price target is an average from 5 analysts. New target price is 8.9% above last closing price of R224. Stock i…
https://simplywall.st/stocks/za/energy/jse-exx/exxaro-resour…

info

Claim 2: “Exxaro Resources reported its revenue was up 7% to R22-billion”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided web results mention Exxaro's revenue in different contexts (e.g., R32.771 billion in 2021), but do not explicitly corroborate the specific '7% increase to R22-billion' claim across multiple independent sources.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Research Exxaro Resources' (JSE:EXX) fundamentals, past performance, valuation, dividends and more.EPS estimate increased from R32.62 to R38.06 per share. Net income forecast to grow 18% next year vs …
https://simplywall.st/stocks/za/energy/jse-exx/exxaro-resour…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Exxaro Resources Limited (Exxaro, the company or the group) is a South African diversified resources company that primarily produces coal.Revenue. Increase R 32 771 billion[1] (2021).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exxaro

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web search NEUTRAL — Exxaro Resources is marking 20 years of advancing sustainable social impact through long-term investments in communities across South Africa. Since inception in 2006, Exxaro has spent over R70 billion…
https://www.exxaro.com/

info

Claim 3: “it sold nearly twenty million tonnes of coal”

SINGLE SOURCE

The search results provided for this claim are irrelevant (Redalyc scientific repository) and do not mention Exxaro's coal sales.

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web search NEUTRAL — Acceso abierto sin fines de lucro propiedad de la academia, fortaleciendo el acceso abierto diamante
https://www.redalyc.org/

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web search NEUTRAL — Buscador de artículos científicos en redalyc.org
https://www.redalyc.org/busquedaArticuloFiltros.oa

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web search NEUTRAL — Si eres editor de una revista Redalyc, solicita tu cuenta de acceso en editores@redalyc.org Curso de certificación Videotutoriales Blog XML-JATS Manual de usuario Preguntas frecuentes Información técn…
https://marcalyc.redalyc.org/

info

Claim 4: “Some estimates suggest we have about 6% of the world’s total coal deposits”

SINGLE SOURCE

The evidence provides general global coal reserve data (e.g., Africa has 5%), but does not specifically confirm that South Africa possesses exactly 6% of the world's total coal deposits.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — For coal production by country, see List of countries by coal production. The reserve list specifies different types of coal and includes countries with at least 0.1% share of the estimated world's pr…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_coal_rese…

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web search NEUTRAL — World coal resources—that is, the total amount of coal available in the world—are approximately 11 trillion tons.Their distribution by continent is: Europe 44 percent; North America 28 percent; Asia 1…
https://www.britannica.com/technology/coal-mining/Coal-depos…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The US is also the world’s third-biggest producer and consumer of coal. It produced 685 million tonnes (Mt) of coal (approximately 9.3% of the world’s total) in 2018. The country accounted for 8.4% of…
https://www.mining-technology.com/features/feature-the-world…

verified

Claim 5: “nearly half of all the gold mined by humans had come from this place [Johannesburg/Witwatersrand]”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The provided evidence contains general information about gold and the Witwatersrand basin, but no specific statistics regarding the percentage of total human-mined gold coming from this location.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Witwatersrand (UK: , US also ; Afrikaans pronunciation: [ˌvətˌvɑːtərsˈrant]; locally the Rand or, less commonly, the Reef) is a 56-kilometre-long (35 mi), north-facing scarp in South Africa. It co…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witwatersrand

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Gold is a chemical element; its chemical symbol is Au (from Latin aurum) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a bright-metallic-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Mponeng is an ultra-deep tabular gold mine in South Africa in the Witwatersrand Basin of the Gauteng Province. Previously known as Western Deep Levels No1 Shaft, the mine began operations in 1986. It …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mponeng_Gold_Mine

+ 3 more evidence sources

verified

Claim 6: “the wet summer of 2007 and 2008... led to load shedding”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia confirms that South Africa's energy crisis (load shedding) began at the end of 2007.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Gambling in South Africa has been heavily restricted since 1673, with South Africa's Gambling Act of 1965 officially banning all forms of gambling except betting on horse racing which existed as a spo…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gambling_in_South_Africa

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. The country consists of nine provinces, and is bounded to the south by 2,798 kilometres (1,739 miles…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Africa

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — South Africa's energy crisis (or load shedding) was a period of widespread national power outages that began at the end of 2007 and last occurred on 16 May 2025. The South African government-owned nat…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_African_energy_crisis

info

Claim 7: “the government appealed against an earlier ruling that essentially said Eskom would not be allowed to build any more coal-fired power stations”

SINGLE SOURCE

The search results provided for this claim are adult content and completely irrelevant to the South African government or Eskom.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Free porn videos and exclusive XXX movies are here at xHamster. Instantly stream 6M+ hardcore sex videos from pros and amateurs on high quality porn tube!
https://xhamster.com/

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web search NEUTRAL — xHamsterで6百万本以上のエロ動画やアダルトビデオを無料で無修正視聴。人気のAV女優によるXXX指定のポルノをストリーミングし、セックス写真も楽しもう。好きなスタジオのセックス動画作品をどこでも視聴可能！
https://jp.xhamster.com/

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web search NEUTRAL — Impossibly beautiful teen girls with tight bodies star in limitless porn videos with naughty masturbation, blowjobs, fucking, and lesbian sex at xHamster (18+).
https://xhamster.com/categories/teen

help

Claim 8: “Despite the huge amount of gold taken from the Witwatersrand basin, about as much remains underground”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was provided or found to support or refute the claim regarding the amount of gold remaining underground in the Witwatersrand basin.

check_circle

Claim 9: “Johannesburg’s centenary [was celebrated in 1986]”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm that 1986 was the centenary of Johannesburg, specifically marking 100 years since the discovery of gold on the Witwatersrand.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality is a metropolitan municipality that manages the local governance of Johannesburg, the largest city in South Africa. It is divided into several branch…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_of_Johannesburg_Metropoli…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Johannesburg ( joh-HAN-iss-burg, US also -⁠HAHN-, Afrikaans: [jʊəˈɦanəsbœrχ] ; Xhosa: eGoli [ɛˈɡɔːli]; Zulu: iGoli [îˈɡóːli]), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "the City of Gold", is the capita…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johannesburg

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Johannesburg is the largest city in South Africa. Johannesburg may also refer to:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johannesburg_(disambiguation)

+ 4 more evidence sources

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.