Search Climate Insights Directory

The report argues that immersive ethnographic methods are more effective than one-off consultations for capturing the lived experiences of marginalized groups in South Africa's coal regions. Based on fieldwork in Mpumalanga, it identifies critical gaps in current policy-making, including the exclusion of women and informal workers and the decline of community services after coal plant closures. To address these, the report recommends institutionalizing co-production, creating dedicated engagement funds, and training officials in participatory research to ensure a more inclusive just energy transition.

The report argues that traditional top-down consultations for South Africa's just energy transition (JET) often exclude marginalized groups and fail to address local realities. By applying ethnographic research and a co-production pilot in Mpumalanga, the study identifies critical gaps in information, trust, and service delivery following the closure of the Komati Power Station. It recommends institutionalizing co-production and ethnographic methods to ensure that women, youth, and informal workers are meaningfully included in policy design.

The report details a community health screening in Phola, Mpumalanga Highveld, finding severe environmental degradation and widespread health issues linked to coal mining. Key findings include high rates of respiratory symptoms, chronic conditions, and a strong community perception that the environment is hazardous. The study also highlights socio-economic vulnerabilities, including high unemployment and reliance on social grants, and recommends strategies for government, healthcare providers, and the community to mitigate these impacts.

The research paper defines a 'transition effective state' as one capable of identifying and solving community-priority problems through co-production—a collaborative process where affected citizens are active partners in policy design. Evaluating South Africa's Just Energy Transition (JET), the authors find that current state capabilities are low because the government relies on 'tick-box' public participation and 'isomorphic mimicry' of international best practices rather than locally-driven solutions. Fieldwork in Mpumalanga reveals critical policy gaps, including the invisibility of the informal coal value-chain, the loss of community services provided by Eskom and mines, and water scarcity. The paper concludes that rigid budgeting and entrenched administrative habits hinder progress, recommending the development of detailed co-production guidelines and pilot projects focusing on water and community asset management.

The research paper assesses the capacity of the South African state to implement a just energy transition (JET), concluding that current state capacity is low due to a reliance on top-down, 'tick-box' public participation rather than genuine co-production. It defines a 'transition effective state' as one capable of identifying and solving community-priority problems through collaborative, context-specific processes. Fieldwork in Mpumalanga reveals that critical issues—such as the informal economy's dependence on coal, water rights, and the loss of corporate social investment services—remain invisible in national policies. The author recommends developing detailed guidelines for co-production and applying them to specific gaps in the JET framework to build legitimacy and ensure social equity.

This document is an appeal submitted by groundWork and the Vukani Environmental Justice Movement in Action against a decision by the National Air Quality Officer (NAQO) to grant Eskom a postponement of compliance with Minimum Emission Standards (MES) for the Kusile Power Station. The Appellants argue that the decision is unlawful, violates constitutional rights to a healthy environment, and was based on flawed health and atmospheric impact assessments and unfounded claims regarding the reduction of load shedding.

The Centre for Environmental Rights submitted two expert reports to the South African government detailing severe particulate matter (PM) limit exceedances and associated health impacts at Eskom's Kendal power station. Dr. Ron Sahu's analysis found 2,712 PM exceedances between April 2016 and March 2020, noting that electrostatic precipitators are failing. Dr. Andrew Gray's report estimates that emissions caused between 61 and 144 premature deaths annually between 2018 and 2019 and severely exceeded WHO air quality guidelines for SO2, PM2.5, and NOx in the Highveld Priority Area, particularly affecting sensitive receptors like primary schools.

This document is a Provisional Atmospheric Emission Licence (AEL) and the accompanying decision letter issued by the Mpumalanga Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Land and Environmental Affairs to Anglo Operations (Pty) Ltd for the Khanyisa Power Plant. The licence authorizes the operation of solid fuel combustion installations for electricity generation, subject to specific emission limits, monitoring requirements, and environmental mitigation measures.