SAfrica's coal dependency puts economy at risk: report
Net Zero Tracker
watchdog said Monday.
Africa's most industrialised nation is one of the largest polluters in the world and generates about 80 percent of its electricity through coal.
This makes it "uniquely vulnerable" as companies decarbonise their supply chains and countries penalise carbon-intensive imports, according to the group, a collaboration of four non-profit organisations that tracks net zero pledges.
"78 percent of South Africa's exports, worth $135 billion, are traded with 139 jurisdictions which have net zero targets in place. Collectively, these exports support over 1.2 million domestic jobs," the report said.
If the country fails to decarbonise its supply chains, it could lose some of that trade and related jobs, it said.
The group said South Africa could avoid this scenario by phasing out coal more rapidly and positioning itself as a "strategic supplier in low-emission value chains".
"South Africa has the tools to pivot -- proven renewables potential, critical minerals, and seats at global tables," said Net Zero Tracker project lead John Lang.
The report argued that South Africa was "well-positioned to become a key supplier of low-emission goods".
One of the driving forces behind the decarbonisation push is the European Union's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanisms (CBAMs).
Adopted in 2022, the policy imposes a carbon price on imports of goods such as steel, aluminium and cement from countries with lower environmental standards.
A test period began in October 2023 before the law's full entry into force in 2026.
The South African Reserve Bank has warned that carbon-based tariffs could reduce exports by up to 10 percent and that CBAMs alone could shrink exports to the EU by four percent by 2030.
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The EU's solution is not to restrict movement, but to make aviation more attractive and expand training capacity. It explicitly supports mobility in line with ILO Conventions No. 97 (Migration for Employment) and No. 111 (Non-Discrimination), and ICAO's next generation of aviation professionals (NGAP) initiative. No evidence of 'unplanned departure' India's operational stability argument rests on the notion of sudden, uncoordinated exits. But with a legally enforced six-month notice period, there is no operational ambush. Airlines have ample lead time to schedule simulator slots, run upgrade courses, and recruit replacements. The reality is that pilots are leaving for better pay, more predictable rosters, effective fatigue management regulations, and improved overall quality of life. These are retention issues within the employer's control, not inevitable consequences of foreign recruitment. Once a pilot has served the legally required notice, any attempt to block their departure moves into the territory of restricting free movement — a clear conflict with ILO principles. Global parallels: IT and medicine In other skilled sectors — information technology, medicine — professionals routinely migrate to global opportunities. India trains software engineers who join firms in Silicon Valley, and doctors who serve in the UK's national health service (NHS). These sectors do not call for ICAO-style 'codes of conduct' to restrict recruitment. Instead, they expand training pipelines and improve retention incentives at home. If we accept this in IT and medicine, there is no principled reason to treat pilots differently — unless there is a demonstrable safety risk. In India's case, the six-month notice rule already mitigates that risk. ICAO's role: Protect mobility, improve conditions ICAO's challenge is to balance national interests with its global mandate. 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The EU's open-mobility stance is the one that best serves the global interest: a talent pool that is mobile, growing, and motivated, not constrained by borders once its obligations are fulfilled. Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email Disclaimer Views expressed above are the author's own.
