Ramaphosa denies JETP ‘incoherence’ or being forced to transition from coal

President Cyril Ramaphosa has denied that there is any incoherence in his Cabinet regarding the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) with developed countries that have agreed to extend $8.5-billion in concessional financing to support South Africa’s transition from coal to renewables. He was replying to a question posed by the Good Party’s Brett Heron on whether recent conflicting comments by various Cabinet Ministers on the future of South Africa’s coal plants was not at odds with South Africa’s JETP obligations.
/by

Urgent skills development roadmap required for a just energy transition

To successfully effect a just energy transition (JET), South Africa needs to urgently identify the skills required and create a skills development roadmap, as it could take between five and ten years to ready the skills system for new value chains and competences, South African Presidency project management office head Rudi Dicks has said. Speaking at the International Research Conference on Skills for a Just Transition, in Johannesburg, on May 11, he said the cross-cutting nature of skills interventions for the JET meant that South Africa needed to establish strong coordination and planning mechanisms.
/by

Cape Town rolls out generators, inverters at its facilities as power crisis deepens

The City of Cape Town’s (CoCT’s) Facilities Management Department says it has installed power generators at a number of facilities over the last few months as South Africa’s power crisis continues to deepen.  Facilities that received generators include the Hillstar municipal building; Ottery municipal complex; Rochester Road Metro Police building; Pinelands municipal building and the Wesfleur municipal building, in Atlantis.
/by

Youth foundation sets out to bolster EV production, maintenance skills in South Africa

The International Youth Foundation (IYF) South Africa has released a Competency Framework for the Electric Vehicle (EV) Industry in South Africa, which serves to help education institutions bridge the knowledge and skills gap in the automotive industry and improve the competencies needed for the growing EV industry.
Particularly, South African students lack skills related to producing and maintaining EVs – which most stakeholders in the automotive industry agree is the vehicle of the future.
/by

Numsa condemns Gordhan’s appeal against loadshedding exemption

The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) has criticised Minister of Public Enterprises Pravin Gordhan for his decision to appeal the High Court judgment which orders public schools, healthcare facilities and police stations to be exempt from loadshedding. Further, the judgment directed the department to take all reasonable steps to ensure the sufficient supply of electricity in these critical sectors of the economy.
/by