South Africa’s official responses to two far-reaching crises – the COVID-19 pandemic from 2020 and escalating loadshedding in 2022 – underscored a profound, albeit unacknowledged, ambivalence about industrial policy. That reality emerged even though the democratic state has consistently called for economic reconstruction. This policy brief summarises the divergent strategies, and…

South Africa’s aluminium value chain begins with primary aluminium production, at the South32 (previously BHP Billiton) Hillside Aluminium smelter. Hillside is the only primary aluminium producer in South Africa and the largest in the Southern Hemisphere.This Policy Brief draws on a study on the climate compatibility of the South African aluminium value chain in South…

In 2019, the European Union (EU) introduced the Fit for 55 policy package. The policy package aims to reduce the EU’s net greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. It includes the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), a carbon border…

Local Green Entrepreneurs (LGEs) are increasingly responding to climate change and conscious consumer demands for green products, technologies and services across all economic sectors. Small Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) in South Africa are actively contributing to lowering carbon emissions by reducing their water usage, becoming more energy efficient, adopting…

This brief is based on the findings of a Transnet Rail Rolling Stock Localisation Study that had the following goals: To undertake an applied, independent, quantitative and qualitative research exercise to describe the prevailing economic and rail sector context; to map and analyse the existing domestic rail supply chain; to…

Concerns have arisen around the impact on waste pickers of recently gazetted draft regulations to limit the theft of metal from infrastructure by improving oversight over scrap dealers. An initial phase would ban exports of scrap for six months, followed by the implementation of new regulations imposing stricter rules on…

Petrol stations are an important part of South Africa’s fossil fuel-powered economy, providing liquid fuels for more than 12 million cars, delivering fuels to power heavy machinery for industrial and agricultural use, and employing more than 140 000 people across the country. This policy brief aims to understand petrol stations…

The number of unqualified “plumbers” working in South Africa’s plumbing industry has increased substantially. About 86.8% or 97 000 self-identified plumbers in the industry are unqualified, which has had significant implications for business sustainability, the perceived level of skill in the industry, and the effective delivery of water and sanitation systems. The personal-professional development of…

This policy brief highlights the level of adoption of frontier technologies in six manufacturing subsectors: metal and engineering; retail motor and aftercare; plastics; manufacturing; automotive components; automotive manufacturing; and new tyre manufacturing. This is important because, while there is a solid understanding of the importance of frontier technologies especially for…

This policy brief aims to clarify the currently used metrics, what value they have, what they miss, and their policy implications. It begins by unpacking the technical definitions of various metrics used in the South African context, considering the implications associated with each metric. Additional concerns regarding methodologies and assumptions,…