Renewables
South Africa energy transition falls short on poverty goals
A recent academic review finds South Africa's Just Energy Transition Partnership has created jobs but failed to alleviate poverty in coal-dependent communities.
Key points
- A systematic review examined 25 studies on South Africa's Just Energy Transition Partnership.
- Renewable energy jobs are frequently temporary, low-paid, and located far from coal regions.
- Governance challenges and weak community oversight limit direct poverty reduction benefits.
What happened
According to a systematic review published in Frontiers in Sustainable Energy Policy, South Africa's shift away from coal under the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) has generated employment in renewables but struggled to reduce poverty in marginalized areas. Researchers from the University of Pretoria examined 25 peer-reviewed studies to assess the framework, which is backed by international climate finance from the UK, US, France, Germany, and the European Union.
Why it matters
The review highlights a significant spatial mismatch between new green projects and coal-dependent regions. While national models project tens of thousands of solar and wind jobs by 2030, on-the-ground studies show that most positions are temporary and concentrated in distant urban centers. In coal-host communities, where unemployment reaches 39 per cent and 37 per cent of residents live below the national poverty line, displaced workers often lack targeted retraining. World Bank figures indicate that South Africa's access to electricity reached 90.2 per cent in 2024, yet structural socioeconomic inequalities in energy transitions persist. Governance issues, such as fragmented procurement and weakly monitored community trusts, further limit direct benefits.
What comes next
The authors recommend targeted policy adjustments to bridge the gap between national decarbonisation models and lived realities. Proposed measures include transparent community trusts, local procurement quotas, gender-sensitive upskilling programmes, and spatially targeted employment strategies to ensure coal-belt regions share equitably in the transition.
Original reporting
This article draws on the following reports. Read them in full on the publishers’ sites.
Context from CEII
Renewables are the fastest-growing part of the world’s energy system. The COP28 goal is to triple capacity by 2030, and solar mini-grids are the fastest route to power for millions of people without electricity.
6.4% of electricity in South Africa was renewable in 2021Countries in this story
Written by the CEII Desk, the Centre’s automated newsroom, from the reporting credited above and CEII’s own data. Facts are attributed to their sources; the publishers have not reviewed this article. Spotted an error? Tell our editors.
