How South Africa’s coal exports are fuelling Israel’s genocide in Gaza

South Africa has been leading the international fight against Israel’s genocide in Gaza, taking the country to both the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court.

However, when it comes to trade, and especially coal, things look very different.

Not only has South Africa continued to trade with Israel after October 2023, when Israel started its offensive on Gaza, despite the court cases and its strong diplomatic criticism of the country, but a large amount of South Africa’s exports to Israel, coal, is fuelling the Israeli occupation of Palestine, and the genocide in Gaza.

Since October, South Africa has provided Israel with at least 15% of its entire coal imports of that period, to the value of $40.6 million.

South Africa is the second largest coal supplier to Israel after Colombia, and now with Colombian President Gustavo Petro announcing he will cancel all the country’s coal exports to Israel, the country will be almost fully reliant on South Africa and Russia for its coal power.

Newly released data from global trade data and intelligence analysts Kpler and UK-based LSEG Data and Analytics which has been accessed by campaigners, shows, from the available information for late October 2023 to January 2024, South Africa exported 496.5 kilotons of coal from the Richards Bay Terminal in Durban to Israel’s Port of Hadera.

Trade dating back to South Africa's apartheid years

In 2022, South Africa exported $185 million in coal briquettes to Israel, the top item of all exports.

South Africa has traded with Israel going back to apartheid, even when South Africa was under international economic sanctions, mostly in weapons and minerals.

This trade relationship remained in place even after democracy began in 1994, with available data showing that the post-apartheid government continued with these transactions right from its first day in power.

In February this year, South Africa’s then-Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Naledi Pandor, told the media that the country would be replacing Israeli markets for coal. 

“Let’s look at other trade partners, let’s look at East Asia for an example and use it as a platform for expanding trade,” Pandor said.

Pandor has been one of the most outspoken government officials on the genocide in Gaza and has repeatedly said that South Africa should not “normalise ties” with Israel as the occupying power.

Six months later, no formal decisions have been taken regarding coal sales to Israel.

The South African Department of Trade and Industry (DTIC) told The New Arab, “The DTIC is currently in consultation with teams from other key stakeholders such as the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) and the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) among other stakeholders to discuss issues,” regarding coal sales to Israel.

They are unsure how long this process will take.

Coal exports sustaining Israeli occupation and genocide

Currently fighting these coal exports is a Palestinian-led campaign, the Global Energy Embargo for Palestine, made up of the Palestine Institute for Public Diplomacy (PIPD), Arab Group for the Protection of Nature (APN), Workers For Palestine, and Disrupt Power.

‘The Palestinian people are being subject to the most horrific crimes known to mankind, including genocide and ethnic cleansing. All peoples, states and individuals have a moral and legal obligation to stop this relentless massacre,” says Ousman Noor, coordinator of the campaign.

“A comprehensive, global energy embargo is a practical action that can have an immediate impact in forcing Israel to stop its crimes. The demand by the Global Energy Embargo for Palestine for immediate popular, trade union and state action has already elected a massive global response, including delaying and disrupting the delivery of jet fuel and coal.”

He says that research shows that South African coal deliveries to Israel are a “fundamental component of its war economy, helping to sustain occupation and genocide. By simply refusing to sell coal, South Africa can help bring an end to Israel’s daily massacres, make good on its international legal obligations and proud history of anti-colonial struggle.”

In July, the campaign wrote an open letter to South Africa’s Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation, explaining that coal, which is used to fuel Israel’s Electric Corporation (IEC) is crucial for fuelling Israel’s apartheid system and genocide.

“Israel’s Electric Corporation (IEC) is the largest supplier and sole integrated electrical power provider in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory," the letter reads.

“The IEC builds, maintains, and operates power generation stations, sub-stations, as well as transmission and distribution networks across both Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory... Coal exports to Israel continue to be used for coal-based power plants, operated by the IEC.”

A moral dilemma

According to the International Energy Agency, 15.9% of Israel’s energy supply was based on coal in 2022.

The New Arab contacted 15 South African coal companies that export coal via Richards Bay Coal Terminal.

Only five of these responded.

Glencore’s spokesperson responded that “Glencore will not comment.”

Exxaro spokesperson replied, “We unfortunately do not disclose our export markets beyond what has been previously shared in our results collateral.”

Both Kangra Coal and Sasol said that they do not export coal to Israel, and Seriti Coal’s spokesperson replied that the company has not exported coal to Israel since November 2023.

According to Patrick Bond, political economist and sociology professor at the University of Johannesburg, “There are two theories about the South African establishment's overall role in fuelling the genocide in Israel that, schizophrenically, its politicians and lawyers go to the Hague to try to halt.”

The first is that the ruling elite — including (current) President Cyril Ramaphosa who, until 2014 when he became Deputy President — was a coal tycoon tightly aligned with coal-mining company Glencore, and that his brother-in-law Patrice Motsepe’s coal company also has a joint venture with Glencore.”

“The second theory about why South African leaders are opposed to implementing concrete BDS economic policies is their general adherence to global capitalist trading rules. South Africa has important economic, trade and even military relations with Israeli capitalism and its military-industrial complex.

"Even if it is willing to criticise genocide, it does not want to hamper global flows of capital in and out of Israel, for the sake of their own roles in the international economy, which in SA's case means also fear of alienating the US Congress which threatens to end trade benefits.”

Roshan Dadoo, coordinator of the South Africa BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) Coalition, explains the importance of this campaign specifically targeting South Africa.

“Coal is South Africa’s largest export to Israel,” she says.

BDS, along with South African trade unions and civil society groups are planning actions against coal mining companies that they believe are exporting coal to Israel.

“The electrical power grid operated by Israel does not distinguish between military, industrial or commercial use,” says Dadoo.

“As well as demonstrating our compliance with international law, South Africa has the moral and political duty to take a lead in isolating apartheid Israel: to end all diplomatic, trade, sports and cultural relations and implement sanctions as this was the very same call we made on the international community against apartheid South Africa.”

Ilham Rawoot is a freelance writer based in Cape Town and Berlin. She has previously written for the New Internationalist, Al Jazeera and Africa is a Country, and focuses on climate justice and the extractive industry, Palestine and decolonial struggles

Follow her on X: @ilhamsta