Decentralising the Just Energy Transition

The document examines the role of the private sector in South Africa's just energy transition (JET), specifically focusing on the Mpumalanga province. It highlights a gap in citizen perception, where the private sector is not seen as a key stakeholder in mitigating climate change. By comparing the Govan Mbeki and Bushbuckridge local municipalities, the report demonstrates how public-private partnerships can improve essential services like water and electricity, which in turn enhances climate resilience and public health. It recommends that businesses invest in sustainable infrastructure and community engagement to decentralise climate knowledge and support a low-carbon economy.

• South Africa is highly coal-dependent, with nearly 86% of its carbon dioxide emissions originating from coal, and it produces nearly 25% of Africa's total carbon emissions.
• There is a significant lack of climate change awareness and perceived private sector involvement in South Africa; only 43% of survey respondents had heard of climate change, and only 16% of those aware view business and industry as primarily responsible for limiting it.
• Mpumalanga is central to South Africa's energy transition as it accounts for 83% of the country's coal production and houses 12 of the 15 coal-fired power stations.
• Air pollution in Mpumalanga's Highveld region has been declared a constitutional breach, with projections suggesting it could cause 79,500 pollution-related deaths between 2025 and the end of the power plants' operational lives.
• A comparative analysis of municipalities shows that Govan Mbeki Local Municipality, which has a higher service delivery score of 3.92 on the GPI, utilizes public-private partnerships for infrastructure like pump stations and wastewater treatment, whereas Bushbuckridge Local Municipality (score 2.40) faces severe service delivery failures and community protests.
• The private sector can decentralise the just energy transition by investing in sustainable infrastructure, such as upgrading electricity distribution networks to reduce losses, and by hosting civic engagement drives and 'lekgotla' dialogues to bridge climate knowledge gaps.

APA

Mongae, M., & Ohamadike, N. (n.d.). Decentralising the Just Energy Transition. Good Governance Africa. https://digitalmallblobstorage.blob.core.windows.net/wp-content/2024/03/GPI_Just_Energy_Transition_IR.pdf

Chicago

Mongae, Mmabatho, and Nnaemeka Ohamadike. Decentralising the Just Energy Transition. Good Governance Africa, n.d. https://digitalmallblobstorage.blob.core.windows.net/wp-content/2024/03/GPI_Just_Energy_Transition_IR.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Mongae |first1=Mmabatho |last2=Ohamadike |first2=Nnaemeka |title=Decentralising the Just Energy Transition |publisher=Good Governance Africa |url=https://digitalmallblobstorage.blob.core.windows.net/wp-content/2024/03/GPI_Just_Energy_Transition_IR.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{mongaenddecentralising, author = {Mongae, Mmabatho and Ohamadike, Nnaemeka}, title = {{Decentralising the Just Energy Transition}}, institution = {Good Governance Africa}, url = {https://digitalmallblobstorage.blob.core.windows.net/wp-content/2024/03/GPI_Just_Energy_Transition_IR.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }