South Africa’s transition to renewable energy is challenged by a shortage of skills development and training. Thabo Molelekwa investigates This story was supported by the Pulitzer Center For workers in the coal industry such as Nelly Sigudla (above), the transition to green energy sources in Mpumalanga is difficult to welcome. Photo: Ashraf Hendricks Nelly Sigudla (41), a qualified fire watcher and part-time control room operator at Duvha power station in Mpumalanga, South Africa’s energy capital, worries for her future, when her main source of income gets unplugged. The mother of four children lives in Benicon Park, an informal settlement next to the coal-fired power station, which is scheduled to be decommissioned by Eskom between 2031 and 2034. Like many employees in the coal-mining industry, Sigudla fears her qualifications won’t be enough in the near future, when renewables take over coal as South Africa’s primary source of new energy, and that she will be unemployable as a result. The country, which depends on coal for about 85% of its electricity, is home to one of the largest energy experiments in the world: an $8.5-billion deal with a group of rich nations — including the United States, United Kingdom and the European Union — to transition towards renewable energy. For solar panels and wind turbines to operate, South Africa will have to redirect coal workers towards new jobs in the renewable energy sector, such as construction, electrical engineering and IT. But an investigation by Oxpeckers Investigative Environmental Journalism and Climate Home News found a major skills gap in coal-reliant communities and a lack of clarity on how funds for reskilling will be implemented. Sigudla said the transition to green energy sources in Mpumalanga is difficult to welcome. From a community perspective it could bring even more poverty. The region has a soaring unemployment rate of 38%, and more than 100,000 jobs depend on coal. “When the renewable sector kicks in, what fire am I going to watch?” Sigudha asks. “No one has come to the communities to tell us about new skills programmes that we can follow to acquire skills that will be needed in future.” The Just Energy Transition Investment Plan (JET-IP), a document that is guiding South Africa’s move to renewables, includes an investment of nearly R2.7-billion for reskilling programmes across the country. In Mpumalanga, R750-million is allocated to “investing in youth” – including education, training, work experience and placements – and R5.6-billion to “caring for coal workers”, which includes re-skilling, redeployment, placement and temporary income support. Funds would not only come from the JET partnership, but also from government budgets, venture capital and multilateral banks. According to the JET-IP, the government plans to set up a national skills hub to advise on reskilling needs, and R1,6-billion will be allocated to creating pilot training centres known as “skills development zones” in Mpumalanga, Eastern Cape and Northern Cape provinces. These pilot zones will be run by technical colleges and support the development of new skills and courses, aiming to “ enhance the employability of graduates”, says the JET-IP. One of the options to set up facilities for the training centres is to use old decommissioned coal plants. This was one of the options for the Komati power station, the first one to shut down, in October 2022, according to a recently published report by environmental justice organisation GroundWork. But details about how these training centres would actually become operational are scarce. Blessing Manale, spokesperson for the Presidential Climate Commission (PCC), an independent multi-stakeholder body established by President Cyril Ramaphosa to oversee the country’s transition, was unable to indicate when the skills development zones will start operations. Additionally, he acknowledged that skills development is severely under-prioritised, adding “all stakeholder groups have raised this as a fundamental weakness in the JET-IP”. “In the PCC’s view, much work needs to be done, both to quantify the needs for skills development, and to upskill the workforce and new entrants – in particular youth and young women,” Manale said. It will require a deep transformation of the adult basic education system, artisanal skills development and curriculum revision in the tertiary education system. “The transformation of the technical and vocational education and training (TVET) colleges, as well as the sector education and training authorities (Setas), is fundamental,” Manale said.