Business Day - 20 September 2021 by Neva Makgetla (TIPS Senior Economist)

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Bloomberg - 27 September 

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Business Day - 4 October 2021 by Neva Makgetla (TIPS Senior Economist)

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Daily Maverick - 13 October 2021 by Ethan van Diemen

SUMMARY: As the reality of a coal transition and coal power decommissioning draw nearer, South Africa’s just transition plan is both urgent and glaringly absent. There is a pressing need to manage the impacts of the transition on workers and local economic development, particularly in coal-dependent regions and affected communities. This policy brief speaks to the current policy vacuum, proposing steps to address it. It considers the implications of the coal transition for employment in South Africa, with reference to national policy and available research. It then seeks to characterise the key issues, points of contestation, and the current just transition/employment policy vacuum.

KEY FINDING / RECOMMENDATIONS: South Africa is in critical need of a just transition plan to manage the process of the coal transition. This policy brief makes three propositions how to move forward. 1) A credible fact base must be established by facilitating collaboration between researchers from different stakeholder groups. A significant amount of work has been done on just transition jobs by the government, research organisations, labour unions, civil society organisations.All the known and unknown facts about the coal transition should be mapped and made widely accessible. 2) The political trade-offs must be clearly defined. A robust process of engagement across levels of government and across stakeholders shouldidentify these trade-offs and unpack the socio-economic costs and benefits. 3) The hard decisions must be followed up with decisive action. While the coal transition is inevitable, support for vulnerable workers and communities is not. This requires movement between stakeholders with different priorities and rationales. 

This paper provides a barometer of the country’s transition to sustainable development, paying special attention to water, as well as its Siamese twin "sanitation”. It has three main themes, namely: the water gap; household water and sanitation access; and governance and funding issues in the sector.

Business Day - 18 October 2021 by Neva Makgetla (TIPS Senior Economist)

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Engineering News - 22 October 2021 by Simone Liedtke 

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This report highlights the myriad interventions available to township firms to develop a more equitable industrial landscape that supports firm growth and employment growth. Many of these response measures aim to address the constraints facing small businesses and industrial development in townships. Gaps however remain. Economic geography is a key…

Transforming Southern Africa: Harnessing regional value chains and industrial policy for development  Chaper 1: Regional value chains and industrialisation: The Southern African experience by Saul Levin and Neva Makgetla This technical report brings together a series of contributions from leading economists and experts on the challenges and the opportunities faced…

The FDI Tracker captured 18 projects in the first quarter of 2021. The total pledged investment value for the quarter amounted to about R64.5 billion from 16 projects. Monitoring further recorded 18 750 employment opportunities from 10 projects. This consisted of 15 366 permanent jobs and 3 384 temporary employment…

The European Green Deal (EGD) is a is a set of policy initiatives by the European Commission with the overarching aim of making Europe climate neutral by 2050. These policy initiatives aim to make all sectors of the European Union’s economy fit to contribute to the European Union reaching its…

South Africa maintained a strong trade balance in the second quarter of 2021, with a surplus of R163 billion, a substantial increase from the roughly R30 billion reported in the second quarter of 2020. The large surplus is mainly the outcome of a surge in mineral prices for ores and platinum.…

The Presidential Climate Commission (PCC) is a multi-stakeholder body established by the President of the Republic of South Africa to advise on the country’s climate change response and pathways to a low-carbon climate-resilient economy and society.  TIPS research for the PCC included the technical report: Technical Report No. 1: A…

  AgendaPresentation: Roadmap Overview and Context For Expert Papers (Sandy Lowitt, TIPS)   Presentation: Initial Framework of Social Indicators for Investments in a Just Transition - (Ed O'Keefe, Synergy Global Consulting)     Research: Report: Initial Framework of Social Indicators for Investments in a Just Transition - (Ed O'Keefe et al, Synergy…

The TIPS Development Dialogue seminar on The Just Transition: Insights into the Financial Roadmap was held on Thursday, 25 November 2021. To view the recording of the webinar and get copies of the presentations go to Development Dialogue. 

The Presidential Climate Commission (PCC) is a multi-stakeholder body established by the President of the Republic of South Africa to advise on the country’s climate change response and pathways to a low-carbon climate-resilient economy and society.  The Presidential Climate Commission (PCC) is a multi-stakeholder body established by the President of…

The Presidential Climate Commission (PCC) is a multi-stakeholder body established by the President of the Republic of South Africa to advise on the country’s climate change response and pathways to a low-carbon climate-resilient economy and society.  TIPS research for the PCC included the technical report: Technical Report No. 1: A…

PROJECT TO DEVELOP A CONTRIBUTION TO A JUST TRANSITION FINANCE ROADMAP In 2021 TIPS embarked on a 12-month research project to contribute to a first iteration of a Just Transition Finance Roadmap. The project has approached just transition finance as a separate use of climate funds, with different challenges, metric…

  Presentation   Why participatory justice matters: Key principles and interventions (Gaylor Montmasson-Clair, TIPS)   Media   Press release: Effective structures required for engagement and public participation to achieve a Just Transition   Background South Africa has initiated a transition to a more sustainable development pathway that involves moving towards a low-carbon…