South Africa is one of the world’s most unequal societies, and among its most coal-dependent economies. The two facts are not unrelated. Communities built around coal sit at the intersection of energy poverty and economic fragility, making them acutely vulnerable to any transition away from fossil fuels. The challenge facing the country’s Presidential Climate Commission is therefore not merely technical but constitutional: the South African constitution recognises sustainable development as a basic human right.

Progress is being made. The Commission’s Just Transition Framework is guiding a decentralisation of the energy system, a scaling-up of renewables, vocational preparation of workers for green industries, and an expansion of social protection. The framework also addresses the sourcing of critical minerals needed for the transition, insisting that responsible and rights-respecting mining must be central to any extraction strategy.

Success, in the Commission’s own terms, is measured not only in green megawatts installed but in a narrowing of the gap between those with resources and those without, increased youth employment, and greater representation of women in decision-making. Slow funding and persistent energy poverty remain major obstacles, and progress requires coordination across government, business, civil society, and international donors.

Source: UN Human Rights and UN System Staff College, “Economies That Work for All” podcast, 2026