Transitions: The Role of the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy in South Africa’s Just Energy Transition

The report finds that the DMRE has exhibited significant reluctance to lead South Africa's just energy transition (JET), often viewing it as a 'western imposition'. This resistance is rooted in the historical minerals-energy complex (MEC) and a desire to protect vested interests in the coal sector and black industrialist projects. The document highlights a lack of policy articulation, poor stakeholder engagement, and internal organizational incoherence caused by repeated mergers and splits. It recommends that the successor departments—Mineral and Petroleum Resources, and Electricity and Energy—improve transparency, update the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) regularly, and align the transition with the post-apartheid racial transformation agenda.

• The DMRE has shown significant reluctance to lead the just energy transition (JET), failing to provide a clear articulation of its strategic position or role in the process.
• The Department has viewed the JET as an external ideological and financial imposition from Western countries and donors, which has fueled resistance to policy innovation.
• The DMRE's reluctance is linked to the historical minerals-energy complex (MEC) and a perceived need to protect the coal value chain and the post-apartheid goal of developing black industrialists.
• The Integrated Resource Planning (IRP) process has been a point of failure, with the DMRE failing to update it regularly or use it as a transparent tool for stakeholder engagement on the energy mix.
• The DMRE has failed to utilize mine and power plant closures to build institutional memory or develop strategic policies for supporting the transition of labor and communities.
• There is a severe lack of transparency and accessibility within the DMRE, described by stakeholders as an 'institutional black hole' or 'information blackout'.
• The DMRE suffered from internal organizational incoherence and capacity constraints due to repeated mergers and splits, as well as the legacy of 'state capture' leading to the juniorization of staff.
• A fundamental conflict of interest existed within the DMRE, as it was tasked with both promoting the minerals sector (specifically coal) and overseeing the transition to decarbonized energy.
• The DMRE has failed to properly monitor the rehabilitation of abandoned and closed mining operations, often ignoring environmental management plans.

APA

Chilenga-Butao, T., & Holland, W. (2024). Transitions: The Role of the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy in South Africa’s Just Energy Transition. Public Affairs Research Institute. https://pari.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/PARI_Transitions_Report_Jul24_WEB.pdf

Chicago

Chilenga-Butao, Thokozani, and Waseem Holland. Transitions: The Role of the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy in South Africa’s Just Energy Transition. Public Affairs Research Institute, 2024. https://pari.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/PARI_Transitions_Report_Jul24_WEB.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Chilenga-Butao |first1=Thokozani |last2=Holland |first2=Waseem |title=Transitions: The Role of the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy in South Africa’s Just Energy Transition |publisher=Public Affairs Research Institute |date=July 2024 |url=https://pari.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/PARI_Transitions_Report_Jul24_WEB.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{chilengabutao2024transitions, author = {Chilenga-Butao, Thokozani and Holland, Waseem}, title = {{Transitions: The Role of the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy in South Africa’s Just Energy Transition}}, institution = {Public Affairs Research Institute}, year = {2024}, month = jul, url = {https://pari.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/PARI_Transitions_Report_Jul24_WEB.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }