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JUST SA Northern Cape — Jessica Makgetla and Kabelo Moremi · TIPS Podcast

• 0:05
  SPEAKER_01: Welcome to the Trade and Industrial Policy Strategies official podcast, Tips Talk, the show where we delve into the fascinating world of economics and its impact on global development.
• 0:16
  SPEAKER_01: I'm your host, Note Mbi Masangu, and today we are asking why it is important for local and provincial government officials in the Northern Cape Province to understand the impact on climate change and the imperative to decarbonize our economy as well as make the transition just.
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_01: We are finding ourselves in Kimberley today to see how the government officials can turn policy into action.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_01: Today we have our special guests here with us.
• 0:44
  SPEAKER_01: We have Gabelo Moremi and also Miss Jessica Machedla.
• 0:49
  SPEAKER_01: It is a great pleasure to have you here with us.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_01: And just to kick off things, to ground our listeners, could you just introduce yourself and also share a bit about the work that you're currently doing?
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_00: Good day.
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_00: Good day, everyone.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much for the opportunity.
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_00: My name is Jessica Machetla from the Northern Cape Economic Development, Trade and Investment Promotion Agency, affectionately known as Neda in the province, which means also they like to play around with it to say it represents to help.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_00: So I guess that's the core mandate with us to make it into the Ubuntu version of saying we are there to assist, we are there to help.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_00: Now I am responsible for the investment one-stop shop, as it was also supported or institutionalized by the DTIC, which is the department that has started with the one-stop shops.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_00: And also in there, we are responsible for the energy desk.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_00: Now we just started, as I'm saying, the province, and in LIDA, we are in the planning stages as well as trying to operationalize.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_00: So now the focus would be basically on investment promotion, investment facilitation, as well as you know, supporting the green energy initiatives.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_02: Good morning.
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_02: My name is Kabelo Moremi, as you said, working in the office of the premier in the policy and planning space.
• 2:25
  SPEAKER_02: We deal with policy planning, research, and particularly to a certain extent.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_02: I think we find ourselves in a very advantageous, so to say, situation because as the office of the premier, we are a coordinating department for the province and liaison with the three spheres of government and the relevant stakeholders.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_02: So we are tend to be regarded as the top office, or so to say, as they call it, the apex of the province.
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_02: So I think the stakeholders that are gathered today, let's say the past two days, are reporting strategically, direct or indirectly, to the office of the premier, because the premier serves as the president of the province, so to say.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_02: So yeah, in a short, that's me for you.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you so much for the introductions.
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_01: It has really important roles, especially in the perspective of the green economy and the just transition.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_01: And it's been quite a packed two full days of the training and a lot of different perspectives and also great insights from our presenters.
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_01: From your side, what would you say stood out from the training and how did you experience the training?
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_00: Um, wow, thank you.
• 3:43
  SPEAKER_00: Firstly, let me start by commending tips and you guys, of course, for organizing this workshop.
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_00: It has been mind-blowing, I must say.
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_00: And the two days on just transition was an enriching and insightful experience that deepened understanding on how the shift to a low-carbon economy can be made equitable, inclusive, and sustainable.
• 4:08
  SPEAKER_00: What stood out for me is that the sessions provided a mix of policy insights, practical case studies, and interactive dialogue, creating a platform to learn, reflect, and engage with diverse stakeholders.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_00: Now, the experience as well, and this is one of my passion, it really resonates with me.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_00: The experience highlighted the human-centered approach, which emphasized that just transition is not only about energy systems, but about the people, jobs, and livelihood, ensuring workers and communities are not left behind.
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_00: I think also that is a non-negotiable.
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_00: Now, in terms of investment opportunities, which is the space that I find myself in, the discussion revealed how just transition opens new pathways for investment in renewable energy, skills development, and local industries, particularly here in the regions of the Northern Cape.
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_00: A strong message was also the importance of strengthened stakeholder collaboration, whereby government, business, labor, and civil society working together to design inclusive solutions from project conception all the way to project clause.
• 5:29
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much.
• 5:31
  SPEAKER_02: No thanks.
• 5:32
  SPEAKER_02: Without regurgitating what Ms.
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_02: Machadla has shared with us, I think it was quite an eye-opener with many different aspects of just transition clarified since yesterday.
• 5:44
  SPEAKER_02: It was a good platform to learn, as I believe that we learn every day.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_02: I think the diverse group that we are, and also the different stakeholder gathered under one roof, or makes it even easier for us to learn.
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_02: One of the critical things that we have adopted, and it's been our vision as a province to continue to be the modern, growing, and a successful province, out of the discussions, and I think tips has shut a way forward for us to really can gather and delve under such platforms to realize our province to be the modern and growing successful province.
• 6:18
  SPEAKER_02: So out of the two days, indeed, I can attest that we are in a step in the right direction going forward.
• 6:24
  SPEAKER_02: Thanks.
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you for that.
• 6:26
  SPEAKER_01: And you know, I'm just quite curious.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_01: You mentioned finance being very important for the just transition and also including the individuals that are going to be impacted.
• 6:36
  SPEAKER_01: Based on that, I'm curious how do you see the just transition discussions connecting to your work and also how do you infuse those policies in the work that you're currently doing?
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_00: What a great question indeed.
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_00: For me, infusing just transition policies into the investment one-stop shop and energy desk means ensuring that every investment facilitation activity, project pipeline, and stakeholder engagement actively supports a fair, inclusive, and sustainable energy transition.
• 7:13
  SPEAKER_00: We can do that by, number one, aligning our OSS mandates with the Just Transition Goals, as well as what my colleague Mr.
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_00: Moremi has said, the province is working towards achieving this modern, growing, successful province, obviously being brilliantly, you know, led by the Office of the Premier and his support team.
• 7:35
  SPEAKER_00: So now, secondly, also we can do that by promoting sectors that align to the just transition priorities, include social safeguards in investor facilitation, because we know that for us to be able to leverage on international and climate finance and donor support, we need to advocate for incentives that would reward inclusive investment.
• 8:01
  SPEAKER_00: And also now we need to identify policy gaps, and this is also one of the main highlights.
• 8:07
  SPEAKER_00: Identify policy gaps where just transition principles need to be reinforced.
• 8:13
  SPEAKER_00: I think in in terms of doing that, it will be able to realize all these plans.
• 8:21
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much.
• 8:22
  SPEAKER_02: Thanks very much.
• 8:23
  SPEAKER_02: And I think because we we are mentioning policy, I think going forward we will have to then work closely with different strata that close working relations to achieve.
• 8:33
  SPEAKER_02: Because even yesterday we have mentioned what we have adopted as a province, our green hydrogen strategy, and all the other policy initiatives that we are having as a province.
• 8:43
  SPEAKER_02: That goes to show that the Premier and the leadership collective of the Northern Cape, we are indeed in the right pathway to assist and have the green economy and just transition of in the province realized.
• 8:56
  SPEAKER_02: I believe all of just transition presentations yesterday gave us an indication to say where to touch, especially in terms of policies.
• 9:07
  SPEAKER_02: This morning also we had a a nice presentation that spoke about policies.
• 9:13
  SPEAKER_02: But what is important is that we need to then infuse all these concepts and the working relations under a coordinated model because in the province we have a governance model that there's different roles of how we move up until the realization, up until the exco level.
• 9:32
  SPEAKER_02: We need to also take the discussions to those different roles, our planning secretariat, before exco, our different clusters, and then ultimately we get it to the HOD forum and then executive to approve some of the discussions or the of the advice that we are having, especially when it comes to just transition.
• 9:52
  SPEAKER_02: And I also think it's vitally important that we also do or operate all these things under the different district development model because we need to be aligned to the one plans of the municipalities when it comes to that.
• 10:05
  SPEAKER_02: Because one of the things that I think the president, the wisdom is that let us coordinate efforts so that the municipalities can have a better implementation strategies to can deliver services to our people.
• 10:26
  SPEAKER_02: And also align our just transition discussion to the provincial growth and development plan and all the other plans that are there, because doing so it will at least assist us to navigate into one narrow direction.
• 10:40
  SPEAKER_02: And most importantly, the municipalities are the for me are the important role players in this regard because they are the first line of service delivery.
• 10:50
  SPEAKER_02: If we can get that right and coordinate and align all these plans, I think there is a big chance that the just transition will get a better footing, and then we also as officials and and the government assist in trying to move going forward.
• 11:06
  SPEAKER_02: Thanks.
• 11:08
  SPEAKER_00: No, thank you.
• 11:08
  SPEAKER_00: I just wanted to re-emphasize on what my colleague was saying and appreciate also the enlightening information in terms of governance structures and how policy, you know, affects everything and how we can better, you know, in terms of implementation, more especially drawing it to the district development model that we know that currently the country is enforcing.
• 11:30
  SPEAKER_00: So I think also us as the agency supporting the province, we will really need to align our OSS mandate as well and its services into the district development model so that this investment facilitation and investment attraction is not just by provincial office, but it is also filtered there and visible as well into the district offices and local municipalities.
• 11:57
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
• 11:59
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you for that.
• 12:00
  SPEAKER_01: Um you mentioned the OSS model, correct?
• 12:02
  SPEAKER_01: Could you perhaps expand on that a bit?
• 12:06
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 12:07
  SPEAKER_00: Now the one-stop shops, that's how we we name them, is the investment one-stop shops, they are designed to simplify, coordinate, and fast-track investment processes by providing seamless access to services and support.
• 12:25
  SPEAKER_00: And also with this, its success relies more than just institutional frameworks, as it depends on the strength of collaboration.
• 12:34
  SPEAKER_00: Like I'm saying, we cannot have a successful implementation of the one-stop shop without a collaborative effort.
• 12:41
  SPEAKER_00: So, hence, I was appreciative of this platform for the past two days, meeting stakeholders in the health and environment sectors, you know, people that you know are going to add value by means of their objectives.
• 12:56
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
• 12:57
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you for that.
• 12:58
  SPEAKER_01: And now considering some of the risks and opportunities that the region has, you know, there's a lot of potential that the province has in terms of assets, you know, and a lot of projects that are currently ongoing in terms of solar and also wind projects.
• 13:16
  SPEAKER_01: Could you just expand and share on any challenges and risks and opportunities for your province?
• 13:24
  SPEAKER_02: Oh no, thanks very much.
• 13:26
  SPEAKER_02: Uh I think as a province we are a little bit disadvantaged when it comes to these funding models and allocations and so forth.
• 13:35
  SPEAKER_02: Uh however, I think the leadership collective again they are agitating for us to really really be treated fairly so because we can see majority of the projects or focus of national now it's here in the Northern Cape.
• 13:49
  SPEAKER_02: We talk about your Namakwa, SZ, your Apin projects, and so forth.
• 13:56
  SPEAKER_02: However, the disadvantages is this thing of I think I would say, in my opinion, the funding model of national, your equitable share would concentrate a large sum to those provinces that are having more population, and even though they are smaller.
• 14:12
  SPEAKER_02: Northern Cape, as we know, is the biggest in terms of land, mass and size.
• 14:17
  SPEAKER_02: However, in terms of population, we are the smallest.
• 14:20
  SPEAKER_02: Maybe just a side note is that we must get some of the colleagues of How Tend to come and reside here and experience the warmth of the Northern Cape and the sun and the weather that comes with it.
• 14:32
  SPEAKER_02: That is why we are having your SKA and your solar projects decide.
• 14:36
  SPEAKER_02: So the funding model in terms of equitable share, I think is not favorable for us as the province and to to can really make a bigger den than we are doing now.
• 14:48
  SPEAKER_02: One other thing I can say the grid access to can connect those that want to come and invest in the province, it's also a challenge that one can note.
• 14:57
  SPEAKER_02: And maybe lastly, the transmission capacity of what is this energy, so to say, but we know that the minister of energy has been in the province crisscrossing with the premier to just try and beef up those issues of transmission and so forth.
• 15:13
  SPEAKER_02: So I think for me, those three, even though they are not casting stones, but for me, I think the equitable share, the way it's shared amongst the provinces, the grid access and the transmission capacity.
• 15:25
  SPEAKER_02: For me, I can mention those three.
• 15:26
  SPEAKER_02: Maybe my colleague also has some things.
• 15:29
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, just to add on that, mine will also be centered around that human aspect, the social inequality and exclusion.
• 15:38
  SPEAKER_00: Because I believe, and it's going back again to the policy issue that we were speaking about to say we really need inclusive policies that will benefit, you know, of renewable energy projects and as well as the skills gap.
• 15:52
  SPEAKER_00: As you know, that the Northern Cape, we know that our priority sectors, or rather, our key economic sectors are agriculture and mining, which we know are labor-intensive.
• 16:02
  SPEAKER_00: So now we need to look at the analysis of the skills gap in terms of the transition because the current workforce is heavily mining and agricultural oriented.
• 16:13
  SPEAKER_00: Without retraining, the local communities may miss the new green jobs.
• 16:17
  SPEAKER_00: So I think the focus should also be there now.
• 16:20
  SPEAKER_00: In terms of the opportunities, I feel that the Northern Cape has the potential of being the renewable energy hub.
• 16:27
  SPEAKER_00: As we know, that Northern Cape is already South Africa's solar capital with vast land, and we heard about how big the land is really is so the vast land high irradiation as long as well as the strong wind potential.
• 16:44
  SPEAKER_00: So with all this posing as an advantage for us, we can position ourselves as the center for green hydrogen production and also for export opportunities.
• 16:56
  SPEAKER_00: Now we can go on and on about investment attraction and local economic development.
• 17:02
  SPEAKER_00: So also emphasis would be on international investors that we know that by nature they are eager to fund projects in regions with strong just transition policies.
• 17:13
  SPEAKER_00: So it's just a matter of us having to twitch, you know, there and there and you know, just put ourselves out there because, guys, the world must watch out.
• 17:23
  SPEAKER_00: The Northern Cape is ready, the Northern Cape is able, and yeah, we are here to dominate the market.
• 17:30
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
• 17:31
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you for that.
• 17:32
  SPEAKER_01: And you heard it here that they are ready and they are ready to dominate.
• 17:37
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you both for your insights on the dynamics of the region and thank you for participating.
• 17:43
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you, thank you so much.
• 17:47
  SPEAKER_01: That brings us to the end of today's episode.
• 17:50
  SPEAKER_01: A huge thank you once again to our guests for sharing their expertise, time with us, and attending this training.
• 17:57
  SPEAKER_01: We hope you will continue to champion the mandate of greening the economy in a just and equitable way.
• 18:03
  SPEAKER_01: And to our listeners, your support means the world to us.
• 18:06
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you for joining the Trade and Industrial Policy Strategies official podcast.
• 18:11
  SPEAKER_01: Remember, sustainable growth is not just a goal, but a path to a more resilient and prosperous future.
• 18:18
  SPEAKER_01: Don't forget to subscribe, leave a review, and connect with us on social media.
• 18:23
  SPEAKER_01: Until next time, I'm Note Embi Matlangu signing off.