Humanities Graduate Seminar Room
Ground Floor, Southwest Engineering Building, University of Witwatersrand
Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
This book is pathbreaking. Skosana's personalised approach effectively demonstrates
the onslaught on the land, identity and livelihoods of these communities; her intervention
will hopefully lead to social and regulatory change towards protecting the human and
environmental, health and safety rights of such communities.
— David van Wyk, Lead Researcher, Bench Marks Foundation
No Last Place to Rest: Coal Mining and Dispossession in South Africa is an exploration of the ongoing struggles faced by families in the Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal provinces of South Africa whose lives have been upended by the relentless expansion of coal mining operations. These regions, burdened with the task of fulfilling the nation's energy needs and boosting the country's economy, witness daily the harsh realities of dispossession that extend far beyond the mere loss of property.
Dineo Skosana presents a compelling argument that dispossession remains a present-day reality and crisis. She challenges the narrow perspective that equates land loss in material and economic terms only. Skosana considers the impact of grave relocations—a common occurrence in these mining-dominated locales— and the profound spiritual anguish and dehumanisation communities endure as their lands are excavated.
About the author:
Dineo Skosana is a senior researcher at Society, Work and Politics Institute (SWOP) at the University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg
RSVP to: swop.wits@gmail.com