As dusk descends on South Africa's coal belt, a stretch of land scarred by decades of mining now flickers to life as dozens of solar street lamps light up Nomzamo Agri-Village.

Despite this mini solar wave sweeping the settlement, coal still keeps many in work, warms their homes in winter and cooks the dinner, even as locals cough up lungfuls of grey smog.

Now though, things are slowly changing.

As one of the world's largest coal exporters, South Africa has embarked on a plan to wean off polluting coal and embrace green industries that create desperately needed jobs.

Nearly every Nomzamo household has a solar brick - a stackable lithium-ion battery charged by the sun - to power their lights and cellphones.

And despite numbering just 412 households, Nomzamo sees its initiative as the s

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