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This report provides a comprehensive analysis of South Africa's development trajectory to 2043, comparing a 'Current Path' (business-as-usual) against eight sectoral scenarios and a 'Combined' scenario. It examines the impacts of demographics, health, education, manufacturing, trade (AfCFTA), infrastructure, financial flows, and governance on the country's GDP, poverty levels, and carbon emissions. The analysis highlights structural challenges such as extreme inequality, high unemployment, and a history of deindustrialisation, while offering policy recommendations to transition toward an export-led, green economy with improved human capital and governance.

This report provides a comprehensive overview of South Africa's geographic and socio-economic landscape. It details the country's transition from apartheid to a democratic state, the subsequent economic fluctuations, and the current challenges of deindustrialisation, corruption, and infrastructure decay. Key focus areas include the decline of the mining sector despite vast mineral reserves, the impact of the 2024 elections on political governance, and critical shortages in electricity and water.

This guide, produced by PARI, IIED, and SALGA, provides a framework for South African local governments to integrate land governance into the just transition. It argues that land is a strategic public resource essential for climate resilience and social justice, rather than merely a financial asset. The document outlines how municipalities can use spatial planning, inclusive governance, and tenure protection to balance the land-intensive needs of renewable energy and climate adaptation with the need to redress historical spatial inequalities from the apartheid era.

This report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) examines the financial and institutional barriers preventing South African municipalities from accessing climate finance to support the just energy transition (JET). It highlights a significant gap where less than 10% of tracked climate finance reaches local governments, despite their critical role in electricity distribution and community resilience. The document analyzes current funding models, the impact of national policy frameworks, and provides recommendations to improve municipal creditworthiness and project bankability.

A map and fact sheet by WWF South Africa focusing on the Zululand and Mpumalanga regions, highlighting their biodiversity and climatic conditions.

This report explores the use of ethnographic research to enhance the inclusivity and participatory nature of South Africa's just energy transition, specifically within the coal-dependent communities of Mpumalanga.

This research paper analyzes the role of green skills development and social protection in Brazil and South Africa as they pursue carbon neutrality by 2050. It compares South Africa's Just Energy Transition Partnership (JET-P) and its struggle with coal dependency and structural unemployment against Brazil's established renewable energy sector and its challenges with labor market informality. The paper argues that a just transition requires coordinated national strategies, robust investment in vocational training, and the integration of social protection programs with environmental sustainability goals.

This policy brief examines the 'unjust' nature of the energy transition for youth in South Africa's Steve Tshwete Local Municipality (STLM). It argues that while the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy is necessary, young people are being marginalised through exclusionary land allocation policies, a lack of sustainable employment following the closure of coal-fired power stations, and the limited scope of renewable energy projects that fail to provide meaningful skills or long-term job security.

This research paper proposes a worker-centric climate response for South Africa, emphasizing state-led financing through a dedicated climate response fund to ensure an equitable transition to a green economy.

This research paper by the Institute for Economic Justice argues for a state-led, assertive fiscal approach to South Africa's climate response, critiquing the current reliance on the blended finance model. The author proposes the creation of a Climate Response Fund, financed through a combination of carbon tax reforms, earmarked levies, and public sector efficiency savings, to ensure a worker-centric and equitable transition.

This policy brief by the Institute for Economic Justice argues that South Africa must adopt a more assertive domestic fiscal policy to address the climate crisis, rather than relying primarily on blended finance models. The author proposes a suite of domestic resource mobilisation (DRM) measures to generate approximately R100bn annually for climate priorities, focusing on state-led infrastructure, carbon pricing, and the creation of a dedicated climate response fund to ensure equity for workers and vulnerable households.

This guide by Natural Justice provides information on proposed natural gas exploration in South Africa's Free State Province by Rhino Oil & Gas Exploration South Africa (Pty) Ltd. It details the scope of exploration rights ER377 and ER378, the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process, potential environmental and social risks, and instructions for public participation.

The Free State Environmental Justice Network (FSEJN) has filed an appeal to the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment to set aside an environmental authorisation (EA) granted on 23 June 2025 to Afro Energy (Pty) Ltd. The EA allows for the exploration of conventional natural gas across approximately 240,000 hectares in the Free State and Mpumalanga provinces. FSEJN argues that the decision by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) was unlawful, irrational, and failed to adequately assess climate, air quality, geohydrological, and socio-economic impacts, while also neglecting meaningful public participation.

This industry brief by GreenCape explores how Alternative Service Delivery (ASD) can support South Africa's Just Energy Transition (JET). It argues that decentralised, community-driven models can bridge service delivery gaps in energy, water, sanitation, and waste management, particularly in underserved areas and coal-dependent regions like Mpumalanga, to ensure a more inclusive transition to a low-carbon economy.

This document is a collection of abstracts for the COMPACT National Research Conference 2025, titled "Reimagining Developmental Local Government: New Approaches to Legacy Challenges." The abstracts outline various research papers and provocations focused on enhancing citizen participation, gender and youth inclusivity, innovative urban practices, and performance monitoring within South African municipalities.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), on behalf of groundWork and Earthlife Africa, submits a formal objection to Eskom's application for exemptions from Minimum Emission Standards (MES) for eight coal-fired power stations under section 59 of the Air Quality Act (AQA). The submission argues that these exemptions violate the constitutional right to a healthy environment, particularly for residents in Priority Areas, and that Eskom has failed to justify its 14-year delay in achieving compliance.

This briefing examines the challenges of implementing just transition policies in South Africa, highlighting the gap between national ambitions and local priorities, institutional capacity deficits at the subnational level, and the limitations of current financial mechanisms. It specifically analyzes the role of green hydrogen as a potential new value chain and emphasizes the need for transparent decision-making to maintain public legitimacy.

This policy brief by the Stockholm Environment Institute examines the challenges South Africa faces as it moves from the planning phase to the implementation of its just transition away from coal. It identifies critical misalignments between national and subnational priorities, institutional capacity gaps in coal-dependent regions, and the inadequacy of current financial mechanisms to support transformative, high-risk projects.

The COP29 South African Youth Statement, presented by the Youth Policy Committee Global Change Working Group via Youth@SAIIA, outlines a comprehensive set of demands for the South African government delegation to COP29. The statement advocates for a climate justice approach that integrates human rights, gender equality, and social justice, calling for urgent reforms in water sanitation, waste management, and the energy transition to protect marginalized communities.

This report by the Centre for Environmental Rights examines the risks and financing of onshore gas extraction in South Africa, focusing on the Mpumalanga Gas Project and the Virginia gas field. It critiques the government's positioning of gas as a 'transition fuel' and highlights significant environmental, financial, and transparency concerns.