johannesburg – Experts say South Africa cannot create nearly enough green jobs to compensate for the thousands of people it will lose by closing polluting coal mines and power plants, burdening the country with massive and rising unemployment.
According to the latest government figures, almost one in three South Africans is unemployed and the number is rising. But experts say the real level is probably about 10% higher. He says youth unemployment is about 60%.
South Africa has so far phased out only one coal-fired power plant, Komati in Mpumalanga province, as part of its Just Energy Transition Investment Plan. Thousands of jobs were lost due to the shutdown and few new opportunities opened up.