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Mail & Guardian

Just Energy Transition

latest news & developments
People in the township of Khayelitsha near Cape Town have been managing water shortages for ages.
ENERGY POVERTY

How a distant war is deepening South Africa’s energy poverty

A distant conflict in the Middle East has triggered the largest oil supply disruption ever recorded, leading to soaring fuel prices in South Africa and exposing the country's…

  • Bokang Galogakoe
5 min read
While coal producers stand to benefit from stronger prices and export demand, researchers warn that increased coal production and exports carry significant environmental and social costs, from greenhouse gas emissions to the impacts borne by communities living near mines and coal-fired power stations. (Delwyn Verasamy/M&G)
CLIMATE CHANGE

How the US-Israel-Iran conflict is reshaping South Africa’s coal exports

Middle East tension has pushed up energy prices and boosted demand for South African coal, raising questions about climate commitments and exports

  • Shaazia Ebrahim
6 min read
Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana.
BUDGET SPEECH

It’s time for a community-centred budget

A credible budget in 2026 cannot be based solely on spreadsheets. It must rebalance power and investment toward the local economies that sustain the majority of South Africans.

  • Siphesihle Qange
3 min read
Ramaphosa said the Just Energy Transition Investment Plan has attracted about R250 billion in international pledges for large-scale manufacturing, infrastructure and skills development.
CRITICAL MINERALS ELECTRICITY REFORM

Ramaphosa pledges green growth, energy reform

The focus is on manufacturing green products for global markets and modernising the country’s power system, the president says

  • Sheree Bega
3 min read
A new climate-smart horticulture centre at Eskom’s Grootvlei power station, backed by the Netherlands, is testing how South Africa’s energy transition can deliver jobs, food security and skills
AGRICULTURAL SKILLS DEVELOPMENT

From coal to crops: Grootvlei’s climate-smart horticulture centre takes root

A new climate-smart horticulture centre at Eskom’s Grootvlei power station, backed by the Netherlands, is testing how South Africa’s energy transition can deliver jobs, food…

  • Sheree Bega
7 min read
Former glory shattered: Residents attend a community meeting in Steve Tshwete Local Municipality, where the economic fallout of Mpumalanga’s contracting coal sector is increasingly visible. Once one of the country’s top-performing municipalities, it is now struggling with falling rates payments, growing arrears and rising indigent support applications as retrenchments increase. Photo: Ihsaan Haffejee
COAL MINE CLOSURES
Video

Coal’s slow death in Mpumalanga

As jobs disappear from the coal belt, Middelburg’s economy is buckling. Unpaid rates, collapsing businesses and stalled transition support are deepening the crisis

  • Marcia Moyana
  • Thabo Molelekwa
8 min read
South Africa’s presidency of the bloc placed the development needs of the continent, small island states and other vulnerable regions firmly at the centre of the G20 declaration. (GCIS)
AFRICA ENERGY ACCESS

Major commitments for energy access, disaster preparedness and critical minerals at G20 South Africa

South Africa’s presidency of the bloc placed the development needs of the continent, small island states and other vulnerable regions firmly at the centre of the G20 declaration

  • Sheree Bega
6 min read
While coal producers stand to benefit from stronger prices and export demand, researchers warn that increased coal production and exports carry significant environmental and social costs, from greenhouse gas emissions to the impacts borne by communities living near mines and coal-fired power stations. (Delwyn Verasamy/M&G)
ABANDONED MINES

New study exposes massive undercount of methane leaks from South Africa’s coal mines

A new University of Cape Town study reveals that methane emissions from coal mines may be seven to 14 times higher than official estimates. Experts say capturing this potent…

  • Sheree Bega
8 min read
Ramaphosa said the Just Energy Transition Investment Plan has attracted about R250 billion in international pledges for large-scale manufacturing, infrastructure and skills development.
CANCELCOAL JUDGMENT

Procedural justice foundation of South Africa’s just energy transition

The JET must be deep: redistributive, participatory and youth-led

  • Sibusiso Mazomba
  • Bertha Letsoko
6 min read
Residents, community organisations and civil society groups across Johannesburg have united to demand urgent action to end the city’s deepening water crisis. (Delwyn Verasamy/M&G)
ECONOMY

Is South Africa ready for a green hydrogen economy?

Water scarcity is the most pressing problem in developing a green hydrogen economy

  • John Zvimba
6 min read
Women are at the bottom of the pile when policies are designed without them.
COPPER

SA’s gas expansion: Women demand people-first energy policy

Women activists are pushing for an inclusive energy policy in South Africa, challenging the government’s gas plans and advocating for renewables

  • Gabi Knott, Lisa Makaula & Thandile Zonke
6 min read
Saving supplies: Patrick Bam, an executive member of the SalTuba Cooperative, said being able to generate their own electricity has helped the community to avoid food loss and damages to appliances. Photo: Ihsaan Haffejee
COMMUNITY OWNED ENERGY

People who own the sun

There is no official registry of socially owned renewable energy projects in South Africa, but research has identified more than 20 operating initiatives across the country

  • Thabo Molelekwa
  • Lindiwe Pakati
10 min read
For Africa, climate action isn’t just about emissions — it is a development imperative. The continent faces a myriad of challenges: a population boom, rising energy demands, persistent poverty and fragile infrastructure.
CLIMATE ACTION FUNDING

South Africa must take the lead in pan-African climate solidarity

Changes in funding show how precarious Africa is in its reliance on foreign aid and the pressing need to find alternatives to ensure economic and climate resilience

  • Tara Nair van Ryneveld
  • Brighton Phiri
  • Kholwani Simelane
5 min read
Preparing the workforce for a just energy transition requires a fundamental rethink of how education and training are approached. Photo: Dwayne Senior/Getty Images
AWEAP SKILLS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME

The skills needed for a just energy transition can’t be an afterthought

The change must not merely happen to people — it must involve them, which means rethinking our approach to education and training

  • Roula Inglesi-Lotz
6 min read
Endowed with a third of the world’s supply of them, the continent must push for actions that have the most benefits for its people. (Per-Anders Pettersson/Getty Images)
AFRICA CRITICAL MINERALS

The power of Africa’s critical minerals

Endowed with a third of the world’s supply of them, the continent must push for actions that have the most benefits for its people

  • Nkateko Chauke
  • Francis Agbere
5 min read