South Africa’s just transition is a national economic and social transformation agenda anchored in climate action and energy reform, with an explicit commitment to fairness, inclusion and redress.

The country is leading the way in integrating social justice into climate action, with a focus on fairness, inclusion, and redress. The Just Energy Transition Investment Plan (JET IP) and Presidential Climate Commission (PCC) provide a framework to ensure no one is left behind. However, a USD 100B+ financing gap, fragmented skills systems, and local implementation present as obstacles to implementing real change.

The policy brief highlights that:

• Concessional loans, guarantees, and grants are critical to lower costs, protect affordability, and fund social protection, not just green infrastructure.
• Training programs must align with employer needs and include workplace experience and job placement, especially in coal-dependent regions like Mpumalanga.
• Municipalities need technical support, grants, and partnerships to turn national plans into community-level, local green jobs and resilient infrastructure.
• Robust monitoring, reporting, and public data are essential to track progress, ensure accountability, and maintain social license.

The publication underlines that international cooperation, for example platforms like the UNFCCC Just Transition Work Programme, can help reduce bottlenecks, share lessons, and align global standards for a smoother, fairer transition.

Read more in the full policy brief, authored by Gerry McDonald.