South Africa is on the path to decarbonisation – doing away with burning coal and other fossil fuels and moving towards renewable, clean energy, such as solar and wind power. However, the coal industry employs 91,000 people. If these workers lost their jobs and were not transferred to new jobs in renewable energy and other sectors, this would devastate entire communities.
Recent estimates by the renewable energy industry say the shift from coal has the potential to create 250,000 jobs by 2047. Energy transition researcher Nthabiseng Mohlakoana was part of a group of Centre for Sustainability Transitions academics who asked workers living near a coal mine and coal-fired power plant what they knew about the coal industry winding down and the renewable energy transition, and whether they thought it would provide decent jobs.
