In South Africa’s northeastern province of Mpumalanga, the country’s energy transition is already taking shape. The province produces most of South Africa’s coal and hosts 83 percent of its coal mines, placing it at the center of both the fossil fuel economy and the shift toward a low-carbon future. For decades, coal has sustained local livelihoods. As the transition accelerates, Mpumalanga is among the first regions confronting the economic and social implications of moving away from fossil fuels.
These realities underpin South Africa’s Just Transition Framework (JTF), a national strategy designed to ensure that the shift to a greener economy protects workers, communities and economic stability.
Anchored in the ILO’s Just Transition Guidelines, the framework is built on the principles of procedural, distributive and restorative justice, ensuring that the benefits and burdens of the transition are shared fairly and that affected communities have a meaningful voice in shaping the future.
The next challenge is translating these principles into practical rules that guide employers, workers, policymakers and communities as industries evolve.
To support this process, the Presidential Climate Commission (PCC)—with support from the Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE) through the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) —is working with national stakeholders to develop a legally binding Code under the Labour Relations Act (LRA) and a complementary Guidance Document for tripartite and multi-stakeholder forums.
If adopted, the Code could help establish a transition model that is inclusive, predictable and rooted in social dialogue and become a reference for other counties.
