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Were you told that gold mining in southern Africa started after 1852? Or that the export of iron, steel, copper and gold began in the late 19th century? Or that South Africa became integrated into a global trading system only after 1652?
Coal fired power stations produce 85% of South Africa’s electricity, making the country the biggest producer of harmful greenhouse-gas emissions in Africa.
South Africa is immersed in a “just energy transition” from a fossil fuel-based energy system to a cleaner, low-carbon energy system. This new system will be based primarily on renewable energy, such as solar, wind and green hydrogen.
Three South African environmental and climate justice organisations took the South African government to court in November 2021, to challenge the authorisation of new coal-fired power as part of the country’s energy mix. Three years later, the court ruled that the government’s new coal plans were unlawful, invalid, and against the country’s constitution. Therefore, these plans cannot go ahead.
South Africa’s move to renewable energy means that the coal industry will be phased out over the coming decades. This transition away from a fossil-fuel based economy will affect over 100,000 workers in coal mining and coal-fired power generation – and their families.
The persistent challenge of falsified or misrepresented qualifications in South Africa exposes serious shortcomings in recruitment and appointment processes. Although the scale of the problem is difficult to quantify, it’s considered to be reaching “pandemic” levels.
South Africa’s goal since 2012 has been to build a capable and developmental state to address the twin challenges of poverty and inequality. The country’s National Development Plan defines a capable state as “well-run and effectively coordinated state institutions with skilled public servants”. A transformative and developmental role is about “consistently delivering high quality services” for the good of society.
The world has to feed a growing population with the same area of land and less water. Irrigation is key to managing this problem.
A 2024 Unicef report found that 23% of South African children experience severe food poverty, eating less than two of the recommended five food groups per day. Unemployment, food insecurity, limited access to basic services and a lack of knowledge about nutrition all contribute to this.
Sinazo Ntsonge, Rhodes University
South Africa’s Expanded Public Works Programme is part of its social safety net. It complements the country’s social grants system, which has over 28 million recipients.
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