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JUST SA Polokwane — Phathu Letsoalo · TIPS Podcast

• 0:05
  SPEAKER_00: 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.
• 0:17
  SPEAKER_00: I'm your host, Tobanique, and today we are asking why is it important for local and provincial government officials in the Limbopo province to understand the impact of climate change and the imperative to decarbonize our economy as well as make the transition just.
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_00: We are finding ourselves in Pologani today.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_00: We see how government officials can turn policy into action.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_00: I have a lovely guest here today.
• 0:45
  SPEAKER_00: Can you please introduce yourself, sir?
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_01: Hi, good morning.
• 0:49
  SPEAKER_01: My name is Padulitzolo.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_01: I am employed by the office of the Premier here in Lumpopo.
• 0:55
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, wonderful.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_00: I'm very happy to have you here.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_00: Can you just tell us briefly how has your experience been so far and what has stood out in this just transition training?
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I think the training was useful because it has deepened my understanding about the just transition.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_01: Because the just transition is about the usage of renewable energies that would be moving from the fossil fuels.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_01: But then there must be a balance between what we're currently having and uh where we should be going.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_01: And I think that knowledge would help me to assist our stakeholders, which are provincial departments and local municipalities, in ensuring that they formulate correct policies and strategies to move towards the just transition.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_00: Is there anything maybe that you have been enlightened on or you've learned in such a way that you wanna infuse just transition policies in your line of work?
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, because mainly our work in the office of the premier is to guide policy formulation and policy implementation.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_01: Because just transition is one of the most used phenomena.
• 2:13
  SPEAKER_01: And we have to make sure that we adapt towards the reality that the fossil fuels are more dangerous to the environment.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_01: And for us to ensure that our society develops, we'd have to ensure that we implement the projects that are in line with the just transition.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_01: And that is one of the things that would need to do because there are other things that we need to take into consideration that we need to ensure that we address issues of unemployment and underdevelopment and poverty through the just transition or transition into the new phenomenon.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, you said your office guides policies.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, we do guide policies because in terms of the constitution, the premier, in conjunction with the various MS develops and then implement policies.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_01: So our role is to ensure that the necessary policies that would be useful to us development are being developed.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_01: And then at the same time, then we'll have to ensure that those policies are being implemented.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_01: Because that is basically what the office of the premier does amongst many things.
• 3:29
  SPEAKER_00: Alright, so when you look at the whole province in total, what would you say are risks and what would you say are opportunities when it comes to the just transition?
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_01: The reality is that the environment has been damaged a lot because of the usage of the carbon dioxide and other green uh gases.
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_01: And in order to ensure that there's sustainability, we would have to ensure that we mitigate against these environmental damages.
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_01: And there are a variety of policies that need to be implemented, like your green economy, your just transition, your sustainable development goals to address that.
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_01: Now, those are the risks because if we do not address these issues, we are likely to have a situation where you have unbearable weather conditions and even uh severe the flooding as it is happening, unpredictability of the raining patterns.
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_01: Because in the past you would have a situation where we know that between September and February it rains.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_01: But of recent, if you check the patterns, it started raining around December, except with the exception of this year.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_01: So those patterns they affect the productivity and even the agricultural sector.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_01: Because if you had planned that it will rain this time and it does not rain and it rains later, it affects the way things have been done.
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_01: So we need to make interventions to ensure that we minimize all these changes that are undesirable towards development.
• 5:07
  SPEAKER_00: Do you see anything that you regard as an opportunity, though, for your province?
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, the point is that transition would require new skills.
• 5:17
  SPEAKER_01: And that's an opportunity that exists because we'd have to teach the coming generation about the new skills that are required in order for the generation to be sustainable.
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_01: Because if in the past would have to use certain methodology to do farming, for example, then with the just transition, you'd have to adapt to ensure that the methodologies that are being used are of current status or of the future status.
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_01: The other one is that we are moving away from the cars that use petrol and diesel, and now we are transitioning towards the cars that are using electric.
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_01: So you see those are opportunities that exist that would have to train our people in this new economy that requires knowledge.
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, those are the opportunities that I see.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_01: But there might be others that I may not be aware of.
• 6:11
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_01: Like you'll say, if people have to move from the skills that they have to the new ones, you'll need to train them.
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_01: So those are opportunities to learn new things.
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_01: Because in this economy that is in the transition, you'd need to learn new skills and new knowledge so that you can fit in.
• 6:31
  SPEAKER_01: And that is the major opportunity that exists.
• 6:35
  SPEAKER_00: Alright, thank you, Mr.
• 6:36
  SPEAKER_00: Mpati.
• 6:37
  SPEAKER_00: Do you have any last remarks, maybe?
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, the rumors that I have is that as a society we should continue learning new things so that we must be able to adapt because the world is not consistent.
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_01: Things are ever changing, and as a society, we must be prepared to adapt and learn new things.
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_01: So that is what I'm saying.
• 6:57
  SPEAKER_01: But lastly, we are very thankful for chips for having given us the opportunity to learn these new things.
• 7:03
  SPEAKER_01: And we hope our society and our stakeholders will learn from this knowledge that we had acquired.
• 7:09
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you, Pantu, and uh thank you for joining us today.
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_00: Sure, thanks very much.
• 7:14
  SPEAKER_00: So a huge thank you to our guests for sharing their expertise and time with us, and also for attending this training.
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_00: We hope you will continue to champion the mandate of greening the economy in a just and equitable way.
• 7:29
  SPEAKER_00: And to our listeners, your support means the world.
• 7:32
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you for joining the Trade and Industrial Policy Strategies official podcast.
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_00: Remember, sustainable growth is not just a goal, but a path to a more resilient and prosperous future.
• 7:43
  SPEAKER_00: Don't forget to subscribe, leave a review, and connect with us on YouTube, Apple, and Spotify.
• 7:50
  SPEAKER_00: Until next time, I'm Tobanike signing off.