Is the GNU losing rhythm on climate action? A reflection of the strategic development plan

The 2025 -2030 Medium-Term Development Plan (MTDP), which was published earlier this year, should for all intents and purpose serve as last-mile five-year implementation blueprint towards the realisation of National Development Plan (NDP) Vison 2030. 

Though a nobly thought-out expression of legislative and policy priorities for the Government of National Unity (GNU), the MTDP remains a rebrand of its forebearer, the Mid-Term Strategic Framework (MTSF) but equally a useful platform for the state machinery to deliver a common programme of nation building, economic growth and societal development. Most importantly it’s a tool to guide short and medium-term plans and the allocation of public resources. 

A perfunctory review of the MTDP shows that there is cognisance of the need for urgent need for climate action and also a need for a just transition, whilst maintaining socioeconomic development.

The MTDP deals with the just transition under Strategic Priority One, which aims to drive inclusive growth and job creation, articulated through the lens of energy security and an energy transition. The MTDP supports the just transition principles, economic diversification and skills development. 

The MTDP makes specific mention of the just transition as part the country’s sustainable development commitments. Its states that the application of the Just Transition Framework, Just Energy Transition Investment Plan and Implementation Plan “will be prioritised and accelerated,” noting that “climate change is a shared global challenge with significant short–, medium-, and long-term socio-economic implications.”

But in prioritising the country’s response to climate change, the MTDP misses the mark on the need for integration of the just transition into all aspects of the country’s development – noting that climate change is not just an energy problem and that decarbonisation will not only impact the energy sector, but the whole society. It appears like the coordination of the transition will remain fragmented unless it is seen as a priority itself with unifying goals and targets that incorporate various departments and sectors.

Coordination and collaboration to achieve just transition outcomes remains minimal.

In October 2024, the Presidential Climate Commission examined the strategic plans (SPs) and annual performance plans (APPs) of 16 government departments to assess if they had embedded goals, targets, and measurable outputs to achieve just transition outcomes. At a broad level, the analysis noted that climate change is a challenge that will impact departments and sectors.  While climate change was better integrated into APPs, this integration was limited to specific outcomes and not streamlined across various relevant outcomes or plans, as would be required for a holistic, coordinated response to climate change and achievement of a just transition. 

Our climate and just transition goals and efforts remain neglected and underfunded, with the consequences painfully evident as our municipalities, which are now regularly battered by  floods, and drought – with little support towards recovery or resilience. Supporting the institutional integrity, capacity, and resources of local government for adaptation and disaster response should be prioritised and remain a key focus of the Presidential Climate Commission (PCC) going forward.

Government departments that deal with socio-economic development must make space for the inclusion of climate-related goals, funding, policies, outputs and more.  While several departments such as Environment, Forestry and Fisheries; Mineral Resources and Energy; Science and Innovation highlighted environmental programmes in their budget votes, these were often siloed and did not go far enough in advancing the just transition. More worrying is that departments whose mandates are central to delivering a just transition such as Employment and Labour, Social Development, etc. have not framed their programmes through a climate or just transition lens.

Our development pathway should transcend medieval economic growth philosophies.

The lived experiences of our people, and lessons from first movers in decarbonisation, have demonstrated that that a just transition will make our economy more resilient and strengthen our global competitiveness, and create opportunities to reduce poverty, inequality, and unemployment.

South Africa passed the Climate Change Act and a comprehensive Just Transition Framework that acts as a blueprint for the just transition to companies, the State and civil society.  However, unless just transition outcomes, are integrated meaningfully into the work of government and the private sector, it is unlikely that South Africa will achieve its emissions reductions targets through just means.

As the current five-year term of the Commission draws to a close later this year, the PCC reaffirms its commitment to a just transition that leaves nobody behind. In the face of growing geopolitical uncertainty, widening inequality, and global poverty, we must remain steadfast in advancing our mission: to guide South Africa’s transition to a low-carbon, climate-resilient future with integrity, inclusivity, and scientific rigor. Now more than ever, our collective efforts must ensure that the transition is not only ambitious but fundamentally just—placing people, especially the most vulnerable, at the heart of climate action to ensure sustainable socio-economic development.

Yuri Ramkissoon, Senior Manager Monitoring and Evaluation at the Presidential Climate Commission.

*** The views expressed here do not necessarily represent those of Independent Media or IOL.

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