Fair and Sustainable Just Transition in South Africa: Insights from Municipal Sustainability and Community Engagement
This discussion explores the complexities of achieving a fair and sustainable just transition in South Africa, emphasizing the critical importance of fairness for mine workers, local communities, women, and the broader society. Drawing on practical experiences within South African municipalities, especially in coal-dependent regions like Mpumalanga, this conversation with Ms Dorah Marema, highlights the need for a place-based, inclusive approach that recognizes the socio-economic impacts of transitioning from a carbon-intensive economy to a low-carbon one.
Key themes include the integration of local knowledge, equitable participation across affected groups - including labor-sending provinces and marginalized communities - and the vital role municipal governments play in climate risk assessment, economic diversification, and service delivery under the transition. Practical examples from environmental management initiatives and community-led adaptive strategies illustrate how policy must follow ground realities rather than impose one-size-fits-all solutions.
The conversation stresses co-creation, patient planning, access to finance, skills development aligned with market needs, and empowerment of youth and women as foundational to a just transition. It underscores how municipalities actively engage in ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction, climate resilience planning, and enabling local economic development opportunities beyond mining. Finally, it points to ongoing multi-level governance collaborations and innovative projects as hopeful signs for a fairer, more sustainable future.
This discussion explores South Africa’s just transition, the shift towards a low-carbon economy while ensuring that no one is left behind, through the lens of those most at risk of being marginalized: women, youth, and mine workers. The con …
This podcast conversation explores the intersection of youth employment and the just energy transition (JET) in South Africa, focusing on the rise of green jobs and the green economy. It highlights the opportunities, challenges, and enablin …
On this episode of the Just Transition Talk podcast, we explore the complex yet crucial concept of the just transition through the lived experiences and insights of community members and practitioners in South Africa’s coal-dependent region …
This podcast episode initiates a series aimed at unpacking key concepts surrounding climate change and the just transition, especially within the South African and Mpumalanga provincial context. The host interviews Ms Dorah Modise, Executiv …
In this episode of the Tips Podcast series, host Thobani K speaks with Bhekani Hadebe, Acting Senior Manager: HV Substations at eThekwini Municipality, about the practical challenges and opportunities involved in preparing municipal electri …
In this episode of the TIPS Podcast series, host Nothembi Mahlangu speaks with Omogolo Tlape, Deputy Director for Macroeconomic Analysis at the North West Provincial Treasury, about the role of economic planning and evidence-based policymak …
In this episode of the TIPS Podcast series, host Thobani K speaks with Dr Bonginkosi Robert Dlamini, Chief Director for Environmental Management in the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (EDT …
In this episode of the TIPS Podcast series, host Thobani K speaks with Sindi Shozi, Chief Engineer for Advanced Metering Infrastructure at the eThekwini Municipality, about the practical role that technology, infrastructure planning, and en …
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