#037 No Coal for Genocide

About this episode

The episode discusses South Africa's legal obligations regarding coal exports to Israel and their implications for climate justice and international law.

In this episode, we explore a new legal advisory report produced for the South African BDS Coalition, examining South Africa’s obligations in relation to the continued export of coal to Israel. Sunny Morgan of the PSA South Africa hosts SA BDS Coalition's Roshan Dadoo, and lawyer and author of the report, Sirhaan Ché Khan in discussion. Grounded in international law, constitutional principles, and the lived realities of Palestinians, the conversation unpacks how decades of dispossession, occupation, and systemic violence intersect with global systems of trade and energy. We ask what it means for South Africa to move beyond symbolic solidarity, and whether economic activity, including coal exports, can amount to complicity in ongoing international crimes. The report at the centre of this discussion argues that South Africa has both the legal authority and the constitutional duty to act. It highlights how existing legislation enables the state to regulate and even prohibit exports in the public interest, raising urgent questions about accountability, coherence, and political will. As calls grow for the South African government to halt coal exports to Israel, activists argue that…

People in this episode

Host: Sunny Morgan

Guests: Roshan Dadoo, Sirhaan Ché Khan

Topics covered

• climate justice
• international law
• coal exports
• South Africa
• Palestine
• economic activity
• global solidarity

Keywords

• coal
• export
• South Africa
• Israel
• BDS Coalition
• international crimes
• energy supply
• military capacity
• accountability

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: PSA South Africa, South African BDS Coalition

Books & works: Advisory Report to DTIC on Coal Sale to Israel

Places: South Africa, Israel