The contradictory state: South Africa‘s varying approaches to its energy policy

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2021

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Mabasa, Ashley Nyiko

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Abstract

This research report addresses two main questions: firstly, do South Africa’s environmental and energy policies contradict each other in terms of building a sustainable and green developmental state? Secondly, is there any clear policy coordination within the State’s departments? The research is an analysis of the state’s energy policies addressed by the National Development Plan (2011), Integrated Resource Plan Energy policy (2010) Carbon Tax Bill 2018, and the Industrial Policy Action Plan 2018/2019. These policies show the link between strategies for development and the mitigation and adaptation of programmes for building a green developmental state. This research report adopted a qualitative research method to explore South Africa’s varying approaches to energy policy. The study uses several policy discussion documents drawn up by numerous departments of South Africa’s national government: namely, the Department of Energy and Mineral Resources; Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries; Department of Trade Industry and Economic Development; and the National Treasury. Policy produced by the Department of Energy and Mineral Resources’ Integrated Resource Plan (2018) fail to show amply the urgency and necessity for the so-called ‘just transition’ required for labour in the radical shift from fossil fuels (decarbonisation) to address greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the local electricity industry, especially for ESKOM, the country’s electricity supply utility. South Africa’s economy was developed within the mineral energy context: coal has, therefore, played a significant role in its previous industrial development. After a period in which almost no attention was paid to climate change the South African government has succeeded in drafting policies which seek to mitigate the current deficiencies of the present economy for the requirements of the global climate crisis: the decarbonisation of the fossil fuel economy. However, the government has currently not provided adequate follow-up leadership for these policies and, in addition, they have proved contradictory. As a result, progress has been detrimentally slow in implementation. Fundamentally, the state has not succeeded in guiding vital economic activity by providing subsidies to the manufacturers and consumers of clean technologies. There is, therefore, a need to coordinate policies and have a coherent implementation system. This study, therefore, provides an evaluation of the SA energy policy, which should be better framed by a concern for reducing inequality in labour issues that provide a just transition towards developing a green economy with a consistent and rational implementation system to replace the current paralysis and gridlock.

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A research report submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Labour and Economic Sociology to the Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, 2021

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