The current trajectory of the just energy transition risks deepening inequalities

Mail & Guardian

02-07-2025

South Africa needs to change its top-down approach, consult communities and fast track the delayed Integrated Energy Plan
Youth involvement; energy access; education and empowerment; beneficiation and ownership for marginalised people are the biggest concerns facing the just energy transition in South Africa.
As things stand, people might not be adequately educated about the concept of the just transition to a low-carbon economy, let alone know how they could benefit from such an economy. A study by the UN Development Programme Accelerator Lab in a coal mining community close to Eskom's Lethabo Power Station and Seriti New Vaal coal mine in the Free State showed that only 36% had even heard of the transition.
While 48% of the respondents expressed grave concern about climate change and how it affects their homes and livelihoods, the study showed that 70% of them have suffered from coal-related illnesses. Past coal extractive initiatives might have massively contributed to compromised health of the people living in those communities by exposing them to air pollution from carbon dioxide.
It is the responsibility of the government to educate and capacitate people on how the just transition would help to reduce climate change and help them to participate economically in the transition.
The government's promotion of gas as a transition fuel raises serious concerns because the increased use of gas, especially in electricity generation, would result in more emissions of methane and other greenhouse gases. This could cause greater harm than the emission of carbon dioxide.
Up to now, South Africa's energy transition appears to have been characterised by top-down decision-making, while grassroots communities are forced to deal with weak energy infrastructure and high energy tariffs. In a country with 17.8 million households, according to the 2023 State of the Nation address, 16 million (89.9%) of those are connected to the grid but 3.2 million (20%) of the connected households experience an unreliable service.
The government-led just energy transition implementation strategy — up to now — has failed to adequately consult people to establish their needs. Instead, grassroots community concerns have been overlooked. Their voices are often excluded from decisions which directly affect them.
The just energy transition requires good governance, beginning with proper consultation with mineral-rich communities to establish consent and inclusion and adopting non-harmful beneficiation strategies which can bring economic development to local communities. The strategy should include a retraining programme for extraction, energy generation, storage, transmission and distribution workers to mitigate against job losses.
Renewable energy generation — which can be a safer and cheaper alternative to fossil fuel energy generation — could create jobs and include local entrepreneurs. But the Just Energy Transition Funding Platform, which was initiated by the International Partners Group in 2021, now led by the Presidential Climate Commission, is yet to address the funding needs of young entrepreneurs and their economic inclusion and participation in the transition.
The International Renewable Energy Agency states that the success of climate-friendly technologies is reliant on a global transformation of the fossil fuel industry, meaning that South Africa, as the largest carbon-emitting country in Africa, has a part to play.
The current trajectory of the energy transition risks replicating many of the injustices found in the fossil fuel industry if it is not done properly. The introduction of new energy technologies risks mineral-rich communities being displaced if the industry is not rooted in good governance.
South Africa is rich in critical minerals, such as platinum group metals, manganese, vanadium, nickel and rare earth elements, which are components for renewable energy production.
Investing in infrastructure to process these raw materials would be beneficial for South Africa. It has the potential to create desperately needed jobs and propel technology transfer and skills development. This contrasts with the current practice of exporting materials at a low cost for processing and importing materials back at a much higher cost.
The government must also prioritise youth involvement in the energy transition through skills transfer and financing for renewable energy projects. A bottom-up approach would ensure inclusive involvement.
In May 2023, after legal action by NGO The Green Connection, President Cyril Ramaphosa gazetted bringing section 6 of the National Energy Act into operation, which calls for the preparation of the Integrated Energy Plan from April of 2024. A draft plan was expected in March 2025, but has been postponed to September 2026, which will be more than three years from the time of the initial announcement.
If a draft energy plan is only due in September 2026, and it is to be followed by public consultation — which is not a once-off event — the country might not be operating from a well-thought out, financially strategic energy perspective for at least another two years.
The Integrated Energy Plan remains a critical legal framework to guide energy investments for the country and it is imperative that the government treats its development as a matter of urgency.
Lisa Makaula is the advocacy officer at the Green Connection.