South Africa’s merchandise export performance bounced back in the third quarter of 2020, growing by 9.2% (year-on-year) and 40.2% from the previous quarter amounting to R388 billion, an impressive improvement from the historic slump experienced in the second quarter of 2020 as a result of the lockdown. The third quarter of 2020 saw the pace of decline in imports moderating to 19.6%, compared to the 26% decline in Q2 2020 (year-on-year), in constant rand terms. In US dollar terms, merchandise exports experienced a marginal decrease of 2.4% in Q3 2020 to US$22.9 billion, while imports dropped by 28.2% to US$16.4 billion from Q3 2019. South Africa continued on a positive trade balance, recording a sixth straight quarter surplus of R109 billion (US$6.5 billion) in the third quarter of 2020, the highest recorded over the observed period. This record trade surplus is mainly due to the impressive rebound in export demand as most economies reopened in the third quarter of 2020, easing restrictions on business activities, with imports still declining although at a slower pace.

Webinar on Unravelling South Africa’s Just Transition: Unpacking sectroal interventions for Mpumalanga. 24 March 2021. Webinar recording and presentations available here. 

Presentations

Gaylor Montmasson-Clair - Senior Economist, TIPS

Presentation: Policy toolbox for a Just Transition

Mike Mulcahy - CEO, GreenCape

Presentation: Green Economy Cluster - The value of clustering in the South Africa economy

Janivi Da Silva - Director of Programmes, GreenMatter

Presentation: A composite approach for skills development towards a Just Transition for South Africa

Tashmia Ismail-Saville - CEO, Youth Employment Service (YES)

Presentation: Just Transition

Media

Press release: Building blocks for a just transition in place

Marleny Arnoldi, Engineering News, 18 February 2021: TIPS encourages South Africa to leverage just transition imperatives already in place

Background

South Africa has initiated a transition to a more sustainable development pathway. This notably involves moving towards a low-carbon economy. In a highly unequal society like South Africa, the need for a just transition, which would empower vulnerable stakeholders, has emerged as an imperative. Vulnerable stakeholders (such as workers, small businesses and low-income communities) should not be negatively impacted by the transition and should ideally be better off through it. 

International experience suggests that fostering a just transition requires long-term, ambitious interventions at multiple levels. South Africa's mix of measures remains in development and a high source of debate. This dialogue aims to inform this just transition process. It explores a number of possible cross-cutting options to foster a just transition process in South Africa, namely:

• The policy toolbox
• The cluster model
• Skills development initiatives
• Youth employment programmes

About the Speakers

Gaylor Montmasson-Clair will present on the policy toolbox for a just transition. Gaylor is a Senior Economist at TIPS, where he leads work on Sustainable Growth. He has carried extensive research on the transition to an inclusive green economy from a developing country perspective, with a focus on policy frameworks, industrial development, just transition and resource security. He was one of the lead authors of South Africa's National Employment Vulnerability Assessment (NEVA) and associated Sector Jobs Resilience Plans (SJRPs). 

Mike Mulcahy will discuss the role of the cluster approach as a vehicle to foster a just transition. Mike is the CEO of GreenCape, a green economy sector development agency. GreenCape's work has focussed on understanding and then removing barriers to commercially-viable projects across energy, water and waste. GreenCape sits at the nexus of industry, government and academia, allowing a unique perspective on pragmatic solutions to transition to a green economy. 

Janavi Da Silva will unpack the role of skills development in a just transition context. Janavi is the Director of Programmes at GreenMatter, which works towards unlocking the environmental, social and economic potential of South Africa through the development of suitably skilled biodiversity specialists, researchers and professionals. She has a deep experience in working for social and environmental enterprise and skills development.

Tashmia Ismail-Saville will present on the importance of youth employment programmes to achieve a just transition. Tashmia is the CEO of the Youth Employment Service (YES), a joint initiative between business, labour and government, which addresses South Africa's youth unemployment challenge. Together with a dedicated team, she works towards creating thousands of work experiences in South Africa. She has expertise in setting up organisations and has made contributions locally and internationally in the areas of innovation, inclusive business, digitisation of knowledge and business development, economic and behavioural research. 

About the Facilitator

Muhammed Patel is an Economist at TIPS. He has experience in the coal and petrochemical value chains. He is the lead author of the National Employment Vulnerability Assessment (NEVA) and Sector Jobs Resilience Plan (SJRP) for the coal value chain in South Africa.

Trade & Industrial Policy Strategies (TIPS), an economic policy research institute based in Pretoria, is conducting research with the Green Economy Coalition (www.greeneconomycoalition.org) aimed at better understanding the challenges faced by South Africa’s local green/social entrepreneurs.
 
TIPS is inviting all Green and Social Entrepreneurs/Small Businesses in South Africa to participate in an online survey. The information obtained will contribute to improving the understanding of the types of challenges faced by small businesses (particularly in terms of financial inclusion). It will help formulate policy recommendations in line with entrepreneurs’ needs.
 
If you identify yourself as a Green or Social Entrepreneur/Small Business, we would really value your insight. Click here to access the online survey link or copy and paste the link into your preferred Internet browser: https://forms.gle/tSEc8UA4QWaUuLVX8. You are also welcome to share the survey link with other entrepreneurs in your network. Subsequent dialogues and policy work will be informed by the outcomes of the survey. Participants will be invited to participate in the research feedback sessions.
 
The survey will close on 10 February 2021. Should you have any difficulties (such as Internet access or language) in filling in the survey, you are welcome to contact us for assistance at elize@tips.org.za or ntombi@tips.org.za.

Media release: Promoting green entrepreneurship - what are the stumbling blocks?

• Baba-Tamana Gqubule, TIPS
• Jenitha Badul, Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries (DEFF)
• Ozunimi Iti, United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO)

ESI Africa  -  20 January 2021 by Babalwa Bungane

Read online at ESI Africa.

Engineering News -  19 January 2021 by Terence Creamer

Read online at Engineering News.

The National Climate Change Response White Paper requires the development of Sector Jobs Resilience Plans (SJRPs). These plans aim to protect vulnerable groups that may lose their jobs or livelihoods as a result of climate change impacts, related either to physical effects or to the transition to alternatives.The proposals for the SJRPs, and the evidence supporting them, are presented as a suite of related documents. These are a main report, the SJRP Toolbox: Summary for policy makers; and proposals for five value chains that seem particularly likely to be affected: coal, metals, petroleum-based transport, agriculture and tourism.

This report is the main report: National Employment Vulnerability Assessment - Analysis of potential climate-change related impacts and vulnerable groups

Other project reports

The SJRP Toolbox: Summary for policy makers

Sector Jobs Resilience Plan: Coal value chain

Sector Jobs Resilience Plan: Metals value chain

Sector Jobs Resilience Plan: Petroleum-based transport value chain

Sector Jobs Resilience Plan: Agriculture value chain

Sector Jobs Resilience Plan: Tourism value chain

The research for this project was conducted by Trade & Industrial Policy Strategies (TIPS) for the Departments of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries and Trade Industry, and funded by GIZ.

TIPS research team: Neva Makgetla, Nokwanda Maseko, Gaylor Montmasson-Clair and Muhammed Patel.

The research for this project was conducted by Trade & Industrial Policy Strategies (TIPS) for the Departments of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries and Trade Industry, and funded by GIZ.

TIPS research team: Neva Makgetla, Nokwanda Maseko, Gaylor Montmasson-Clair and Muhammed Patel.

The National Climate Change Response White Paper requires the development of Sector Jobs Resilience Plans (SJRPs). These plans aim to protect vulnerable groups that may lose their jobs or livelihoods as a result of climate change impacts, related either to physical effects or to the transition to alternatives.The proposals for the SJRPs, and the evidence supporting them, are presented as a suite of related documents. These are a main report, the SJRP Toolbox: Summary for policy makers; and proposals for five value chains that seem particularly likely to be affected: coal, metals, petroleum-based transport, agriculture and tourism.

This report is the SJRP Toolbox: Summary for policy makers

Other project reports

National Employment Vulnerability Assessment: Analysis of potential climate-change related impacts and vulnerable groups

Sector Jobs Resilience Plan: Coal value chain

Sector Jobs Resilience Plan: Metals value chain

Sector Jobs Resilience Plan: Petroleum-based transport value chain

Sector Jobs Resilience Plan: Agriculture value chain

Sector Jobs Resilience Plan: Tourism value chain

The research for this project was conducted by Trade & Industrial Policy Strategies (TIPS) for the Departments of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries and Trade Industry, and funded by GIZ.

The National Climate Change Response White Paper requires the development of Sector Jobs Resilience Plans (SJRPs). These plans aim to protect vulnerable groups that may lose their jobs or livelihoods as a result of climate change impacts, related either to physical effects or to the transition to alternatives.The proposals for the SJRPs, and the evidence supporting them, are presented as a suite of related documents. These are a main report, the SJRP Toolbox: Summary for policy makers; and proposals for five value chains that seem particularly likely to be affected: coal, metals, petroleum-based transport, agriculture and tourism.

This report looks at the Coal value chain

Other project reports:

National Employment Vulnerability Assessment: Analysis of potential climate-change related impacts and vulnerable groups

The SJRP Toolbox: Summary for policy makers

Sector Jobs Resilience Plan: Metals value chain

Sector Jobs Resilience Plan: Petroleum-based transport value chain

Sector Jobs Resilience Plan: Agriculture value chain

Sector Jobs Resilience Plan: Tourism value chain

The research for this project was conducted by Trade & Industrial Policy Strategies (TIPS) for the Departments of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries and Trade Industry, and funded by GIZ.

TIPS research team: Neva Makgetla, Nokwanda Maseko, Gaylor Montmasson-Clair and Muhammed Patel.