The Arnot coal mine, the years-long coal supplier to the nearby Arnot Power Plant, resumed operations in 2019, following the closure of the mine in 2015 after a coal supply agreement with Eskom expired. With the expertise surrounding the colliery now coming from the recognised mining company Wescoal Holdings, the Arnot coal mine broke new ground in the South African mining industry when 50% of the mine’s ownership was transferred to former employees on Workers’ Day 2019. In an unprecedented show of workers’ empowerment, 1, 200 retrenched employees now own their own stake in the Arnot colliery, and are able to steer the mine toward the future in a novel way. The first move of its kind in the country, the transfer of shareholding was hailed a “key moment for the mining industry, both inclusive and in line with the Mining Charter”.
