In this episode, we explore how young South Africans used litigation, storytelling, and collective organising to challenge government’s plans for new coal-fired power through the #CancelCoal campaign. We hear from Letago, Sibusiso, and Lisakhanya from the African Climate Alliance as well as Mitchelle Sithole of the Centre for Environmental Rights, whose reflections reveal how youth voices, community testimony, and legal strategy came together in a landmark case won in the Pretoria High Court. Their stories show how climate justice movements are confronting power, shaping public debate, and continuing the fight as government appeals the ruling.
In this episode, we return to South Africa, where young activists took on government plans for new coal-fired power through the #CancelCoal campaign — a landmark youth-led climate litigation effort that challenged how energy decisions are made and whose futures they prioritise.
We hear from Letago, Sibusiso, and Lisakhanya from the African Climate Alliance as well as Michelle Sithole of the Centre for Environmental Rights, whose reflections trace how litigation, coalition-building, and storytelling became central to the campaign. From young people submitting affidavits to documenting lived realities in coal-affected communities, the case shows how legal action can be strengthened when rooted in real community experience.
In this episode, you’ll hear about:
• How young activists used climate litigation to challenge South Africa’s continued reliance on coal
• The role of storytelling, affidavits, and public campaigning in strengthening the case
• Why coalition-building across activists, lawyers, and communities was critical to the campaign’s success
• What the landmark victory in the Pretoria High Court means as government moves to appeal the ruling
This episode shows that climate justice is fought both inside and outside the courtroom — through legal strategy, public pressure, and the determination of young people refusing to accept decisions made without them.
About Season 3
For Season 3 of the podcast, we interviewed young activists in our network across five African countries: Zimbabwe, South Africa, Malawi, Zambia, and Kenya. The lesson? Climate stories are rarely only about climate. They are stories about how a rapidly changing world shapes daily life, communities, and the futures young people are fighting to defend.