-
By Kate Bartlett/Reuters, Johannesburg
Experts say South Africa cannot create enough green jobs to compensate for the thousands of jobs that will be lost by closing polluting coal mines and power stations, burdening the country with massive and rising unemployment.
The latest government figures show that almost one in three South Africans are unemployed, and the number is rising.
However, experts said the actual level is probably about 10 percent higher, with youth unemployment at about 60 percent.
Photo: Reuters
South Africa has so far phased out only one coal-fired power station, 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.
The government plans to close three more coal-fired power plants by 2030 and beyond. The power utility Eskom and the coal mining industry together employ thousands of people and many thousands more are dependent on those workers.
“A long-term just energy transition faces a significant jobs gap, with the closure of coal-fired plants currently creating more localised, high-quality green industrial jobs,” said University of Pretoria researcher Jessica Bohlman.
In a study published in March, Bohlman and colleagues found that the share of green jobs is projected to increase from 12.4 percent of all jobs in 2022 to 14.8 percent in 2024.
However, there was a shortage of skilled labor needed for emerging green industries and green employment was concentrated in just a few industries – mining, utilities and construction, he said.
“In South Africa, the green economy holds significant potential for job creation, particularly in renewable energy, yet it faces challenges such as low economic growth, skills shortages, limited technical capacity, aging energy infrastructure, political constraints and weak institutions,” the report said.
It adds that the segment of the population that is getting green jobs is also unequal, with the majority of jobs in this sector being held by young men with medium education levels, while women and informal sector workers are often left out.
Official statistics do not give a clear picture of green jobs.
The data showed that mining and agriculture were two of the few sectors that saw an increase in jobs, but did not specify what kind of jobs, or what type of mining.
Groundwork researcher David Hallowes said that although there is no breakdown of mining jobs in government figures, “I would be surprised if this increase is actually coal-related.”
The government appears to be going back on its promise to clean up the energy sector.
South Africa's Mineral and Petroleum Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe declared at the inauguration of a new mine in Mpumalanga province last month that “King Coal is back.”
Nevertheless, South Africa's dependence on coal has declined somewhat – coal generated about 90 percent of the country's energy a decade ago, compared to 83 percent today, and there are no currently planned mine closures.
As coal plants close, “the major jobs should come from mine closures and rehabilitation of catchments. A lot of those jobs will actually be jobs suitable for miners,” Heloz said.
There will also be jobs in the construction of renewable energy facilities.
“So, although a particular construction job may only last 18 months, there should be new projects on the way. Of course, whether that will happen or not is a different matter altogether,” he said.
Still, it is too much to expect green jobs to significantly reduce unemployment.