Just Transition for Whom and Why? Narratives in South Africa’s Just (Energy) Transition

South Africa is a highly dependent coal country, with coal being its main source of electricity and also an important export product. A low-carbon transition will not only be a shift in the electricity generation, but a socio-technical shift with large-scale impacts on workers, their families, their communities, and civil society at large. As one of the most unequal countries in the world and simultaneously also facing the challenges of poverty and unemployment, the country is additionally in an energy crisis. The paper analyses the different narratives on the just energy transition process by various stakeholders, including workers, trade unions, environmental organizations, community-based organizations, and local governments. Whereas there seems to be a broad agreement on the aim of the transition, clean and affordable energy for all, there are diverging narratives across stakeholders that developed around three key topics: (1) environmental concerns and climate change, which refers to air pollution and South Africa’s contribution to climate change; (2) current energy crisis in the country causing planned power outages due to poorly maintained coal fleet; (3) international exports and developments at the international market such as the latest increasing demand of coal exports to Europe but also prospective decreases of demand for coal on the international market. Depending on the stakeholders’ perspective, the topic and the narrative is either an argument for or against the just energy transition in South Africa. The paper is embedded in literature on the just energy transition and uses narrative analysis to focus on the different arguments that evolved around the reasons for or against a just energy transition. Whereas the narratives by a broad range of stakeholders is analysed, the focus lies on civil society actors, particularly environmental and community-based organizations and organized labour due to their contradicting views on the just transition process, particular in regard to the timeframe and the pace of the transition. The paper draws on qualitative research conducted across South Africa with stakeholders of the just energy transition and contributes to the timely debate on just transitions by also enriching the debate with empirical insights from the Global South. The results from the South African case are highly relevant for other countries around the globe, especially Global South countries, which face similar challenges of phasing-out fossil fuels and aiming for a just transition.