- The South African Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement is calling for local mining companies, including African Rainbow Minerals (ARM), to stop selling coal to Israel.
- ARM is among several mining companies that supply to the Richards Bay Coal Terminal, which exports coal to Israel.
- South Africa exported $79-million in coal to Israel in 2023.
Dozens of people picketed outside the offices of South African mining company African Rainbow Minerals in Johannesburg on Thursday, accusing the company of selling coal to Israel.
The demonstration was organised by the South African Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Coalition as part of a global campaign to halt energy flows sustaining Israel’s military. Activists claim that since October 2023, South Africa has exported close to 500 kilotons of coal from the Richards Bay Coal Terminal to Israel’s Port of Hadera.
Trade data shows that in 2023, South Africa exported $238-million worth of goods to Israel. The main product that South Africa exported to Israel was coal briquettes valued at $79-million.
The Richards Bay Coal Terminal (RBCT) from which South Africa’s coal is exported is owned by a collection of coal mining companies which includes African Rainbow Minerals amongst other coal mining companies like Anglo, South32 Coal, Exxaro and Glencore.
African Rainbow Minerals has a shareholding in Glencore’s coal operations in South Africa. Last year protesters demonstrated outside the offices of mining giant Glencore calling for the company to stop supplying coal to Israel.
Protestors say the supply of South African coal to Israel was unacceptable in the context of the human rights violations being committed by Israel in the occupied territories of Gaza and the West Bank.
“On the one hand you have the South African government taking Israel to the ICJ (International Court of Justice) on charges of genocide and on the other hand you have South African mining companies fuelling the genocide by supplying coal to Israel,” said South African BDS Coalition coordinator Roshan Dadoo.
The protestors marched towards the offices of African Rainbow Minerals with Palestinian flags and placards calling for an energy embargo on Israel. Police monitored the protest which was peaceful throughout.
Sunny Morgan, a climate activist and member of the Palestine Solidarity Alliance said that mining companies deliberately obscure the origins of the coal being exported from Richards Bay to escape scrutiny for supplying coal to Israel.
“They tell us the coal all gets lumped together and exported so they don’t know whose coal is going to which destination. But we know companies like Glencore and African Rainbow Minerals supply the Richards Bay Coal Terminal and they also own the terminal. And we know that coal is being exported from there to Israel,” said Morgan.
He encouraged the coal mining companies to put out statements either confirming or denying that they are supplying coal to Israel. “Many of them are silent on the matter which is very suspicious.”
Demonstrators said their protest was prompted by the imminent arrival in Israel of two cargo ships filled with South African coal.
Maritime analytics provider MarineTraffic shows that the bulk carrier Algoma Value, sailing under the flag of Marshall Islands, departed Richards Bay on 28 February 2025 and was scheduled to arrive in Israel on 3 April 2025. Another bulk carrier, Schinousa, sailing under the flag of Liberia, departed Richards Bay on 11 March 2025 and was scheduled to arrive in Israel on 9 April 2025.
Imrhan Paruk, an executive for Corporate Development at African Rainbow Minerals addressed protesters outside the offices of the mining company by reading out a statement:
“ARM respects the democratic right of BDS and all South African and international organisations to march and express their views or perceptions of ARM’s businesses or business relationships,” Paruk said.
He said that ARM’s minority 23% shareholding in Glencore’s coal operations in South Africa means that Glencore is “responsible for the management, marketing and sales of the coal that is mined by the business and ARM is therefore not involved in the marketing or sales of the coal”.
“ARM is committed to work together with all people from different racial, ethnic and religious backgrounds in South Africa and worldwide and to uphold the human rights of all people as stated in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights,” said Paruk.
Demonstrators said they were not happy with the response from the company and would continue to pressure mining companies and the South African government to end all coal sales to Israel.
