By Frans Sello waga Machate I Bethal, South Africa
BETHAL, Mpumalanga — In a stirring address at the launch of the Ummbila Emoyeni Wind Energy Facility on Friday, 31 July 2026, Seriti Resources Group CEO Mike Teke delivered a powerful message about humanity, progress and the future of South Africa’s energy landscape, drawing on his personal journey from the township of Kwa-Thema in Springs to leading one of the country’s most significant energy transitions.
Teke, whose company Seriti Resources was founded on 1 March 2018 and is now eight years old, took over the assets of Anglo-American; including Kriel, New Denmark, New Vaal and the New Label project, before acquiring South32’s assets on 1 June 2021. Today, Seriti stands as an integrated energy business playing a central role in ensuring South Africa’s versatile energy mix becomes a reality.
Reflecting on the project’s journey, Teke recalled the doubts that surrounded the vision. “When we came here on the 28th of March, 2023, there was a question from one of the government officials, in a nice way, in a decent way, in Zulu, ‘Abo bani la bantu, ba funani la?’ Because nobody understood the whole story of wind in Mpumalanga”. The question – “Who are these people, what do they want here?” encapsulated the scepticism that had to be overcome.
Teke addressed the debate between coal and renewables head-on: “Don’t spend your energy, no pun intended, on debating whether it’s coal versus renewables. That conversation is off the table. It’s coal and renewables”. He envisioned a “versatile energy mix as a country” that would include coal, wind, solar, nuclear and other sources of energy, “and that will make us versatile as a country. And that will propel economic growth. And then we’ll see human progress advancing”.
The CEO acknowledged the accusations his company has faced. “The story that goes around this is a story that says, Mike, you are green-washing. You are trying to clean up your story of coal. Well, I don’t waste energy in such debates, ladies and gentlemen. And today, I stand here representing an energy business”.
Teke grounded his vision in personal experience. “I was raised in the township of Kwa-Thema in Springs. And when I was growing up, it was candles on the table. It was a coal stove. And if you were lucky and you came from one of the better families in the townships at the time, you had a paraffin lamp. You made it a bit. But later electricity arrived, solely coming from coal”.
He framed the energy transition in terms of “humanity and progress,” stating: “Nothing in this world is going to stop humanity to progress. Humanity must progress”. For Teke, the measure of success is not abstract policy but tangible impact on people’s lives, answering the question that a young person would ask at a fireside chat: “Is my future secure?”
Teke emphasised Seriti’s continued commitment to coal alongside renewable energy investment. “68 kilometres down to Carolina, we are building a mine, a coal mine called Nordea’s Bank,” he announced. “Are these people walking away from coal? No, we’re not. We are building more. Nordea’s Bank is going to produce coal for the coming 20 years”. He revealed additional projects in the Phola Ogies area, stating: “We continue to invest in coal. The money we generate, we invest in coal. But more money develops the confidence for us to invest in what you see today”.
The CEO paid tribute to the people who make Seriti’s success possible: “My success is pinned on the back of powerful people. The people, the original people of Seriti Resources, the miners, I call them the asters, the people who go underground to dig, the people who are on open casts to produce the coal that we see on the trains”.
Teke also addressed the narrative that South Africa’s Just Energy Transition would be dictated by foreign interests. “I hear people saying, this JET thing will be delivered only if we borrow money from overseas countries who will come and dictate to us how we do it. They will develop an agenda for us. I don’t have that low self-esteem to allow something like that”. He expressed confidence that working with Eskom, government and communities would deliver progress on South Africa’s own terms.
Looking to the future, Teke revealed ambitious plans beyond Ummbila Emoyeni. “There’s a mine called Middleburg Mine Services. It has a rehabilitated land. We have an ambitious plan to build a solar project today. We have an ambitious plan to link it with our water treatment plans”. He noted the project would be developed in partnership with Eskom Green: “We see Eskom Green as a competitor, but we see Eskom as a collaborator, working with us to advance the future of this country”.
Teke concluded with a message of national pride and determination: “When this country grows, when we experience economic growth, when we experience human progress, you are going to see our prominence. In a humble way, you’re going to see us building more”. He spoke in multiple South African languages to emphasize his point, ending with: “Venda speaking people would say ‘ri a funa shango lashu, ri a funa Afrika Tshipembe’ – we love our country, we love South Africa”.
“Ladies and gentlemen, nothing will stand in the way of progress,” Teke declared. “When humanity progress, energy will be at the centre, and Seriti will be the first name you will all think about”.
