Latest / TIPS Podcast / Just Transition to a Decarbonised Economy for South Africa (JUST SA): Eastern Cape Edition prt.1

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Just Transition to a Decarbonised Economy for South Africa (JUST SA): Eastern Cape Edition prt.1 · TIPS Podcast

• 0:08
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the Trade Industrial Policy Strategies official podcast, Tips Talk.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_00: This is the show where we delve into the fascinating world of economics and its impacts on global development.
• 0:20
  SPEAKER_00: I'm your host, Elise Hatting, and today we are asking why it is important for local and provincial government officials in the Eastern Cape Province to understand the impacts of climate change and the imperative to decarbonize our economy as well as make that just.
• 0:37
  SPEAKER_00: So we are finding ourselves in Port Elizabeth today, and we see how government officials can turn policy into action.
• 0:45
  SPEAKER_00: So my special guest with me here, I'm very honored, is to have the Eastern Cape Dat representative, the regional director.
• 0:53
  SPEAKER_00: This is Ms.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_00: Ruela Mantai, and it's a pleasure to have you here.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you, Elise.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_02: I'm pleased to be here.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_02: I'm Regional Director in the Department of Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism, responsible for the Amatole region, which encompasses both the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality and the Amatole district.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_00: That's fascinating.
• 1:17
  SPEAKER_00: And for us, it's such an honor to speak also with a female in a very high-level position.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_00: And I'd like to understand from your own perspective, how does this just transition policy sitting with you in the agenda to decarbonize?
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_00: What do you think it means for the province?
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_00: Your tasks that's on your shoulder?
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_02: So, firstly, in terms of the impacts of climate change, I'm sure you've seen even in the media, the Eastern Cape is always hardest hit whenever there are drought, national disasters, parts of the Eastern Cape always form part of that.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_02: We experience quite a lot of climatic issues, especially along the coast with flooding.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_02: I think it was even just last year where we had quite a lot of flooding here in Gabeka as well.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_02: So it's an opportune moment for the province to be able to leverage some of the opportunities that it brings.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_02: It's also opportune and it's important to take the approach of a theory of change so that we are sure that we are not further entrenching perhaps inequality by making sure that we're bringing all the communities that are so affected, even though they may not be having economic activity that's contributing to the challenges, but definitely they're feeling the impacts of it, and it's important to make sure that as far as possible we have localized solutions.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_02: Again, on an opportunity side, especially when you talk about the green economy, the Eastern Cape has been blessed with amazing endowments in terms of nature.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_02: We've got seven biomes in the province, we've got the 800 kilometers of coast, we've got indigenous plants that are part of the ingredients, health, food, beverage sector that could then be leveraged to ensure that we have a sustainable economy that is low carbon.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_02: We um let me say leverage.
• 3:21
  SPEAKER_02: I had another word that I don't think would be suitable that we leverage those opportunities, especially for the communities, these endowments are actually part of their daily lives.
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you for providing those examples.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_00: I think that's fantastic to highlight that because it's very unique to the Eastern Cape province and your social, political, and geolocation.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_00: We often think about the Eastern Cape and the manufacturing sector and automotives, and we've also looked at the green hydrogen strategies and the corridors that's crossing your province.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_00: So I think that's really wonderful to also talk more about the indigenous and the biodiversity that you offer on the table and definitely a tourism destination.
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_00: So, in that context, can I maybe ask you in terms of any potential risks or even opportunities that you see for the province lying ahead related to the just transition, is there anything that comes to mind that you feel we need to talk about and create more awareness?
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_02: So maybe to link back to what I said earlier around ensuring that no one gets left behind truly, and making sure that the awareness, the discussions are as localized as possible.
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, in your training over the past two days, you talk about like the donut economics, and one of the things that had drawn me to that particular framework is how localized it can be.
• 4:45
  SPEAKER_02: Something that I've shared even with the municipalities that I do support so that we make sure that we apply design thinking and so that solutions are actually have personas that are actually in those local municipalities so that any solutions, any innovation, you first have a buy-in from the local communities as well, and they can see the benefit of it.
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_02: And those policy instruments that you bring to bear to the challenges are responsive to the actual needs in communities.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_02: So to me, that's a great opportunity.
• 5:21
  SPEAKER_02: Maybe I'm using opportunity slash risk in my response to you, but it's important that we make sure that we don't further entrench any inequality.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_02: I'm sure in upcoming iterations or as we devolve the broader policy to the local space, uh, we're able to make sure that we bridge those gaps and that no one really gets left behind and all the voices actually come through.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_02: It's always important when you talk about policy to look around the room and be conscious of the fact that which voice is actually not represented around this table and who can wear that cap if maybe for some reason there was some oversight in terms of the voices there, but who can wear that cap so that that voice can still come through so that we come up with solutions that are implementable?
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_02: You know, sometimes we are a country of great policies and plans, and sometimes when it comes to implementation, there's some need for a bigger push there to make sure that we are at the end of the day ensuring that our communities thrive.
• 6:27
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_00: I think for us that is music to our ears, and we look forward to see how the Eastern Cape as a province, how your pathways will unfold to make it more just and inclusive in the decarbonization journey and the just transition journey.
• 6:43
  SPEAKER_00: And we wish you all of the best and thank you for being with us today.
• 6:46
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you so much, and I really appreciated even the two kits that you shared.
• 6:51
  SPEAKER_02: I felt that they're actually a good foundation for us to pause a bit, think back, and look at our particular situation so that we can see how we can reinterpret them for our local nuances.
• 7:05
  SPEAKER_02: So that again, it's something that I always harp on.
• 7:08
  SPEAKER_02: We make sure that we have responsive policy implementation plans.
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you.
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_00: We look forward to see that.
• 7:13
  SPEAKER_00: Please keep us up to date because I believe that for us it is really important the more local bottom-up policy making from what it means in a local context for your unique province and your unique challenges.
• 7:27
  SPEAKER_00: So we look forward to also welcome your local officials from municipalities around the Eastern Cape to our community of practice, where we're going to be deepening the knowledge and also expand so that we can actually include more officials on this journey.
• 7:41
  SPEAKER_02: I'll definitely be an evangelist for you on that side and share the toolkit and all the platforms with all the municipalities that we do serve.
• 7:49
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
• 7:49
  SPEAKER_00: We believe that leadership is valuable because we need more ambassadors.
• 7:53
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you very much, and all of the best of the tasks that lies ahead for your role.
• 7:57
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you.
• 7:57
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you so much.
• 8:07
  SPEAKER_00: Our next guest that we are talking to here in the Eastern Cape Province has very interesting perspectives for us on energy.
• 8:16
  SPEAKER_00: And I'd like to welcome the Senior Director at Electricity and Energy Directorate at the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality.
• 8:25
  SPEAKER_00: We are talking to Dr.
• 8:26
  SPEAKER_00: Mouleni, and I'm going to ask him to introduce himself and share a bit about his work and his role and a little bit of an insight on where Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality is located and the main economic activities.
• 8:39
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
• 8:40
  SPEAKER_00: Over to you.
• 8:41
  SPEAKER_00: Very welcome.
• 8:42
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you very much for the opportunity to participate in this session and the tips.
• 8:47
  SPEAKER_01: I am Dr.
• 8:48
  SPEAKER_01: Mvvelini Pugula, who is the senior director at Electricity and Energy Directorate in Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, located in the Eastern Cape.
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_01: We are mainly dependent on the automotive side for employment, VWI Suzu, and other supporting structures to other about 70% of the workforce in this area depends on that, and then the rest is split amongst other industries.
• 9:14
  SPEAKER_01: We are a 1.2 plus million population.
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_01: The Nelson Dela Bay municipality incorporates Karika, Kebeca, both who were formerly Utnik and the other one being Port Elizabeth, and the name we changed.
• 9:28
  SPEAKER_01: My portfolio encompasses strategic leadership over the municipality electricity and energy directorate, where I look after the policy formulation, renewable energy integration and commercial sustainability.
• 9:42
  SPEAKER_01: I drive institutional alignment with national energy reforms, focusing on enabling smart grid transformation.
• 9:50
  SPEAKER_01: And I also do look after the enhancing the revenue resilience and positioning the city as a key stakeholder in South Africa's just energy resilience.
• 10:00
  SPEAKER_01: Through the automated metering infrastructure as a project, which I'm unable to deal with it now in detail, but later on, through the community of practice, I'll be able to elaborate on other small projects that we do towards the rollout of renewable energy processes.
• 10:18
  SPEAKER_01: I also lead intergovernmental coordination on energy policy innovation, sustainable infrastructure investment, and regulatory encovernment.
• 10:27
  SPEAKER_01: This is where I am.
• 10:28
  SPEAKER_01: I'm more than 20 years in the system and I'm straight jacketed in one directorate.
• 10:33
  SPEAKER_01: So this is my passion, this is my life, I live this.
• 10:37
  SPEAKER_01: We have more than 370 customer base in the Nelson Manila Bay.
• 10:42
  SPEAKER_01: I look after all of those.
• 10:44
  SPEAKER_01: As to how was my first day in the training by tips, which took place yesterday?
• 10:49
  SPEAKER_01: The first day of the training was both stimulating and affirming.
• 10:54
  SPEAKER_01: It provided a robust framework for understanding the systemic shifts required in transitioning to a low-carbon economy whilst ensuring social equity.
• 11:04
  SPEAKER_01: Importantly for me, it elevated the discourse beyond technology adoption, bringing to focus the governance, socioeconomic inclusion, and institutional capacity required to operationalize the just transition at a level of the municipal environment.
• 11:21
  SPEAKER_01: So rather than to just have these as concepts, I view the practical government arm is the local government, and that's where all decisions are made.
• 11:31
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm perfectly suited in terms of not only developing policy, but to ensure that policies are implemented.
• 11:40
  SPEAKER_01: The emphasis on building climate-resilient people-centered systems, which are aligned strongly with our local imperatives, are founded in the two-day training session by TIP so informative, and I think it dealt with many other colleagues that will confirm that.
• 11:57
  SPEAKER_01: As to how I will, as part of the delegation, infuse the learnings from the past two days into our work environment in the municipal environment, the training has sharpened my resolve to ensure that Nelson Mandela Pai's energy reforms remain socially just, economically inclusive, and environmentally responsible.
• 12:19
  SPEAKER_01: I will be, as a person, through the other colleagues, as a team, that the application of the JAT principles directly to the rollout of our Sustainable Energy Plan 2030 as formally adopted by Council on the 28th June 2022.
• 12:38
  SPEAKER_01: And this particular plan, which is a sustainable energy plan, included or still includes the scaling renewable energy procurement through the public-private partnerships.
• 12:51
  SPEAKER_01: Now is permitted up to 30% of the municipal credit.
• 12:55
  SPEAKER_01: What it means is that we are in the process to roll out, encourage private investors to actually create all this sustainable energy generation in the system on a small piece basis, different ones, not just only one, so that the beneficiation is broadened so that we can allow other players to participate.
• 13:20
  SPEAKER_01: The second part was to facilitate prosumer participation via the feed-in tariff and also the willing tariff where we allow people to feed back to the grid so that the households ordinarily would be encouraged to apply or to install the small-scale embedded generation, and then it will be benefit to them.
• 13:41
  SPEAKER_01: We'll also mitigate the greenhouse cases on the other side, but they directly benefit financially.
• 13:47
  SPEAKER_01: And thirdly, to operationalize the interim energy guidelines while the full energy policy is being finalized by Council.
• 13:55
  SPEAKER_01: That is the third element of the sustainable energy 2030 sustainable energy plan that we have.
• 14:02
  SPEAKER_01: And the fourth point, which is the last one, is revising the system access frameworks to enable IPPs and community-based energy entities to trade on the municipal grid.
• 14:13
  SPEAKER_01: Those four pillars would assist one way or the other to mitigate the greenhouse gas emissions and therefore participating fully in the just energy transition.
• 14:25
  SPEAKER_01: These mechanisms will be implemented with an intentional focus on local economic development, SSME participation, and workforce rescaling, ensuring that the transition is both just and regenerative.
• 14:40
  SPEAKER_01: And then the key risks and opportunities of the just transition for the Nelson Mandela Pay municipality, I see as a view that the risk that would be mitigated is that it lies in a fragmented transition that sidelines vulnerable communities or disrupt municipal financial viability.
• 15:02
  SPEAKER_01: Without adequate policy coherence, local capacity, and fiscal support, municipalities may struggle to manage legacy infrastructure while investing in a new decentralized system.
• 15:14
  SPEAKER_01: But also there are opportunities in the process, not only the risk.
• 15:18
  SPEAKER_01: And the opportunities that are lying there is that the just transition presents transformative opportunities.
• 15:25
  SPEAKER_01: It enables the Nelson Mandela PA municipality to unlock new revenue streams through grid access fees, prosumer licensing, and smart metering.
• 15:35
  SPEAKER_01: It also catalyzes green industrialization by supporting local assembly, maintenance, and technical services for renewable systems.
• 15:44
  SPEAKER_01: And the third point is to drive job creation through targeted reskilling and local contractor empowerment, particularly in the underserved communities.
• 15:54
  SPEAKER_01: And lastly, strengthen the climate resilience and energy security by diversifying the energy mix and decentralizing supply.
• 16:03
  SPEAKER_01: For me to conclude on these issues, the council resolution, which was to institutionalize the REST or renewable energy trading, coupled with delegated authority to facilitate IPP integration into our grid, is a pole step towards economic localization, climate mitigation, and municipal sustainability.
• 16:24
  SPEAKER_01: And this places the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality in a leadership position within the National Just Transition Pathway.
• 16:32
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you very much.
• 16:33
  SPEAKER_00: A huge thanks to our guest for sharing his expertise, time with us, and attending the training.
• 16:40
  SPEAKER_00: We hope you will continue to champion the mandate of the just transition and greening the economy in a just and equitable way in the Eastern Cape and in your municipality.
• 16:50
  SPEAKER_00: We know that this is a big responsibility that sits on your shoulders, but we also are very excited to see how you take on these challenges as a municipality and show true leadership in our country that's needed.
• 17:02
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you very much.
• 17:03
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you very much.
• 17:04
  SPEAKER_01: Also, to provide the opportunity for us on behalf of Nelson Mandela Bay to position ourselves as one of the leaders in the country.
• 17:11
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you very much.
• 17:18
  SPEAKER_00: We would like to thank all our guests that participated in this podcast session today.
• 17:24
  SPEAKER_00: Your insights on the dynamics in the Eastern Cape region were of great value.
• 17:29
  SPEAKER_00: And that wraps up our episode.
• 17:32
  SPEAKER_00: A huge thank you to the guests for sharing their expertise, their time, and attending this training.
• 17:39
  SPEAKER_00: We hope you will continue to champion the mandate of greening the economy in a just and equitable way.
• 17:46
  SPEAKER_00: And to our listeners, your support means the world.
• 17:50
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you for joining the Trade and Industrial Policy Strategies official podcast.
• 17:54
  SPEAKER_00: Remember, sustainable growth is not just a goal, but a path to a more resilient and prosperous future.
• 18:03
  SPEAKER_00: Don't forget to subscribe, leave a review, and connect with us on social media.
• 18:09
  SPEAKER_00: Until next time, I'm Elise Hutting, your host, and I'm signing off.