https://youtu.be/nuVHJT_rhgI Imagine your teacher smoking in the classroom. For some of us, this was the reality until new rules were put in place by government in 1993 [6]. But why had government not acted sooner? In their paper published in 2003, Mia Malan and Rosemary Leaver outline the relationship between the biggest tobacco business and government [7] [8]. Government eventually put public health before profits, thanks to the work of health advocates. But big businesses are still using their power to protect their profits at our expense. Researchers have pointed out that big businesses have worked to delay and delegitimize important health policies by using their associations and different strategies [9]. Researchers and civil society groups are not allowed to attend a standing meeting between the National Department of Health and big food businesses [9]. State capture has shown us we have a lot of work to do. But we are making some progress in improving transparency and accountability. Politicians have to declare financial interests [10], and political parties now must disclose who funds them [11]. We need to keep building on this momentum. We can't afford to have a repeat of 2014 where big businesses that make food like polony did not agree with government's proposed hygiene rules and instead wanted to self-regulate [12] [13]. Government should have stood up to those big businesses in 2014 and put the new rules in place anyway. Government has to stand up to big business bullies. Their job is to serve the people, not private interests. References can be found here: https://amandla.mobi/big-business-bullies-references

• Building new coal plants will take years and be very expensive to build and maintain. This will drive up the cost of electricity for everyone even more.  • Renewable energy projects are cheaper, more sustainable and can be deployed quickly to meet our immediate electricity needs, while bringing electricity to communities who most need it.  • Those who live on the coal front are already suffering extreme health problems because of poor air quality around coal plants. Air pollution from coal-fired power stations kills more than 2,200 South Africans every year and causes thousands of cases of bronchitis and asthma in adults and children annually.  • People who work coal jobs are increasingly under threat of retrenchments and are also forced to work in very unhealthy environments. Future renewable energy and other green economy jobs can create even more opportunities for workers than future coal jobs – if planned carefully.  • Coal is a major contributor to climate change, driving extreme weather events that threaten our way of life. We have a responsibility to current and future generations to reduce emissions and embrace sustainable energy solutions. Sign on to Tell the Government to End New Coal for our Just Future !  About the Campaign!  The #CancelCoal campaign is a youth-led campaign by the African Climate Alliance, Vukani Environmental Movement, and groundWork. It calls for the end of new coal in South Africa and supports the landmark legal case of the same name, represented by the Centre for Environmental Rights.  The legal case is a constitutional challenge to the South African government’s plans to introduce 1500 MW of new coal-fired power electricity - the equivalent of three to four large power plants. We are asking the court to put a stop to the government’s call for the development of this new coal capacity.