komati power stationlatest news & developments
Women are disproportionately affected by climate impacts and economic exclusion. Photo: David Harrison/M&G

Presidential Climate Commission outlines people-centred just transition for 2026–2030

Commissioners emphasise a people-centred just transition, focusing on rural communities, workers and climate-resilient economic planning

5 min read
President Cyril Ramaphosa. (GCIS)

Climate change an existential threat, Ramaphosa says

President calls for urgent action to move South Africa’s just energy transition from commitment to delivery at the inaugural meeting of the reconstituted Presidential Climate Commission

  • Sheree Bega
4 min read
Komati Power Station decommissioned after serving for 60 years. The shutdown took place on 31 October 2022. The power plant will be converted into a renewable generation site powered with 150MW of solar, 70MW of wind and 150MW of storage batteries.

UPDATED: Komati illustrates the human cost of South Africa’s energy transition

What should have been a model for climate action has become a cautionary tale of what happens when communities are excluded from decisions that reshape their lives

  • Eyaaz
6 min read
Former glory shattered: Residents attend a community meeting in Steve Tshwete Local Municipality, where the economic fallout of Mpumalanga’s contracting coal sector is increasingly visible. Once one of the country’s top-performing municipalities, it is now struggling with falling rates payments, growing arrears and rising indigent support applications as retrenchments increase. Photo: Ihsaan Haffejee
Video

Coal’s slow death in Mpumalanga

As jobs disappear from the coal belt, Middelburg’s economy is buckling. Unpaid rates, collapsing businesses and stalled transition support are deepening the crisis

  • Eyaaz
8 min read
South Africa is one of the largest air-polluted countries in Africa according to a report by non-profit organisation Greenpeace Africa. (Waldo Swiegers/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

South Africa’s air pollution levels are through the roof

The Major Air Polluters in Africa report has found that two of the world’s 10-largest sulphur dioxide emission hotspots are in SA This content is restricted to registered users and subscribers. Get Your Free Account The Mail & Guardian is committed to providing all our readers with the best possible experience. Please register your free account now. Your registration is your first step to becoming an M&G community member. Register Registration enables: – M&G newsletters access – notifications – the best possible experience Already registered? Login here Want to subscribe and get even more benefits? Explore our subscription offers

  • Eyaaz
1 min read
South Africa needs to change its top-down approach, consult communities and fast track the delayed Integrated Energy Plan

Presidential Climate Commission: Green energy to provide employment relief

Crispian Olver, the climate commission’s head, has said that fossil fuel jobs will shrink but citizens will benefit from the green market This content is restricted to registered users and subscribers. Get Your Free Account The Mail & Guardian is committed to providing all our readers with the best possible experience. Please register your free account now. Your registration is your first step to becoming an M&G community member. Register Registration enables: – M&G newsletters access – notifications – the best possible experience Already registered? Login here Want to subscribe and get even more benefits? Explore our subscription offers

  • Eyaaz
1 min read

United position needed on future of Komati

Residents say different messages from ministers have cast doubt on the country’s just energy transition

  • Eyaaz
3 min read