South Africa’s just energy transition (JET) is often spoken of in terms of megawatts, finance packages and emissions targets. These are important, but they risk obscuring the single factor that will determine whether the transition is truly just: people.
A transition without skills is not a transition at all. It is disruption without opportunity. That is why the launch of the JET skills desk, the national JET skills advisory forum, and the multi-donor initiative (MDI) at Gallagher Convention Centre matters so deeply. For the first time, South Africa has a coherent framework to ensure that workers, youth, and communities are equipped to benefit from the green economy we are trying to build.
The three structures launched last week are not new committees for the sake of bureaucracy. They are delivery instruments.
- The JET skills desk, located in the department of higher education & training, is the operational hub for aligning universities, TVET (technical & vocational education training) colleges, community colleges and Setas (sector education training authorities) with the skills demanded by new industries such as renewables, green hydrogen and new energy vehicles.
- The JET skills advisory forum, under the human resource development council (HRDC), brings together the government, labour, business, academia and civil society to ensure coherence, avoid duplication and provide accountability through social partnership.
- The multidonor initiative, backed by the EU, Germany and Switzerland, pools catalytic funding and technical support. Crucially, these funds will not be scattered across fragmented projects but directed through the skills desk, ensuring alignment with national priorities.
Together, these elements form the JET-Integrated Skills Plan: a clear, nationally led strategy that moves us beyond talk to delivery.
The significance of this launch lies in who stands to benefit:
- Workers in vulnerable sectors. Thousands of coal-related jobs will be lost as ageing power plants are decommissioned. The JET skills system is designed to provide retraining, recognition of prior learning and psychosocial support so workers can transition into new roles in solar, wind, hydrogen and logistics.
- Young people. With youth unemployment stubbornly above 40%, the green economy offers one of the few genuine growth frontiers. Curriculum reform across TVETs and universities will prepare graduates for real pathways into hydrogen production, renewable infrastructure and EVs.
- Skills development zones in Mpumalanga, the Northern Cape and the Eastern Cape will anchor training where it matters most: in coal transition towns, renewable energy corridors and port-linked industrial hubs. This ensures that local economies are not hollowed out but rebuilt for the future.
For the private sector, the JET skills system is not a sideshow; it is a core business risk and opportunity.
Investors will not wait for South Africa to catch up. If we cannot supply the skills, projects will either stall or import expertise
Investors will not wait for South Africa to catch up. If we cannot supply the skills, projects will either stall or import expertise. That means lost jobs, lost localisation opportunities, and lost competitiveness. With a credible skills pipeline, by contrast, South Africa can anchor investment, build supply chains, and position itself as a continental leader in renewable energy, hydrogen and green automotive manufacturing.
This is where business has a direct role. Companies must open workplaces for training, co-fund strategic development zones, shape curricula and commit to hiring graduates of JET programmes. In short, the private sector must become a co-owner of this transition.
One of the weaknesses of past development co-operation has been fragmentation. South Africa has had donor-funded skills initiatives scattered across provinces and sectors, often with little co-ordination. The result has been duplication, uneven impact and short-term projects with no path to scale.
The new JET skills architecture changes that. By housing the desk within my department, oversight within the HRDC and donor contributions within the MDI, we now have a single entry point, a clear accountability structure and a coherent national plan. This gives international partners confidence, but more importantly it gives South Africans confidence that government is leading with purpose.
The JET will be judged not only by how much renewable capacity is installed but by whether it reduces inequality. That means ensuring equity and inclusion are built in from the start. The skills desk will prioritise women, youth and rural communities. Community education & training colleges and NGOs will be brought in to reach those excluded from formal pathways. Career guidance campaigns such as Khetha will help young people see opportunities in the new economy.
This matters because a transition that leaves workers and communities behind is not a just transition — it is an unjust disruption.
The launch is, in many ways, a statement of intent. It signals that South Africa is ready to move from coal to careers, from policy to practice, from ambition to implementation.
For business, it is a call to partnership. For workers, it is a promise that support is coming. For young people, it is a signal that the green economy is not abstract but a real source of opportunity. And for the country as a whole, it is a step towards building not only a cleaner energy system, but a more just and inclusive economy.
If we succeed, the JET skills portfolio will be remembered as the moment South Africa put people at the centre of the transition. If we fail, we risk entrenching the very inequalities we seek to overcome.
The choice is ours — and the work starts now.
• Manamela is the minister of higher education & training
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