Life After Coal | Impilo Ngaphandle Kwamalahle

We are proud to announce that The Bliss of Ignorance, a documentary made in collaboration with our partner organisation groundWork and Friends of the Earth International, won the award for best South African short documentary at the 2017 Jozi Film Festival last night.

London-based filmmaker Simon Waller directed, shot and edited this 30-minute documentary looking at the impact of South Africa’s coal-fired power stations on air pollution, public health and the wider climate change debate. Living on location in the townships of Mpumalanga, Waller was able to witness the effects of the industry on local communities and the natural world. He also travelled to Pretoria, Durban, Johannesburg and Cape Town gathering interviews from a range of experts and stakeholders including South Africa’s public utility giant Eskom. A number of activists, lawyers and academics associated with the Life After Coal/Impilo Ngaphandle Kwamalahle campaign are interviewed in the film.

If you haven’t seen this beautiful and compelling film yet, take 30 minutes to watch The Bliss of Ignorance. You can also watch it in Zulu.

For more updated information on the health impacts of Eskom’s coal, visit: Air pollution from coal power stations causes disease and kills thousands of South Africans every year, says UK expert

For more updated information on Eskom’s avoidance of complying with the minimum emission standards under the Air Quality Act, visit

• Joint Media Release: Another five years of toxic pollution by Eskom
• Environmental Rights Blog: Breathing space for polluters at the expense of public health
• Media Release: Highveld communities take a stand against pollution from Eskom power stations

For more information on the campaign against coal in South Africa, visit the Life After Coal/Impilo Ngaphandle Kwamalahle campaign website.

For media queries, please contact Annette Gibbs on [email protected] or 082 467 1295.

Life After Coal Campaign organisations (Centre for Environmental Rights, Earthlife Africa Jhb and groundWork):

Centre for Environmental Rights: Annette Gibbs, Email: [email protected], Mobile: 082 467 1295

groundWork: Nombulelo Shange, Email: [email protected], Mobile: 078 874 2177

Earthlife Africa: Makoma Lekalakala, Email: [email protected], Mobile: 082 682 9177