Mail & Guardian
Mail & Guardian
trade amp industrial policy strategieslatest news & developments
Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa. (Leon Sadiki/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

New energy plan sends mixed signals to investors

The draft IRP 2023 scales back renewable projects viewed as a key source of economic growth

File photo

In the battle of superpowers, SA will always be vulnerable

The rand’s fall after the US’s Russian arms claims shows South Africa can’t risk taking a side

Tasneem Motara. Photo: Delwyn Verasamy

Governance battles hit Gauteng’s economy

Hit by the pandemic, unrest and load-shedding, the province’s economy has suffered a chronic decline

President Cyril Ramaphosa is set to more than achieve his “audacious” commitment to raise R1.2 trillion of investments in five years.  (Waldo Swiegers/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Investment drive: R1 trillion and counting. So why do we feel worse off?

The investment drive has been a defining feature of Ramaphosa’s presidency, but its touted benefits remain elusive

There are environment-friendly interventions that will ensure that South Africa will have sufficient renewable power supply domestically as well as for export.  (Dwayne Senior/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

‘South Africa on a path to unjust transition’

The country needs a greener economy but energy specialists say policymakers must ensure the creation of a fairer economy in the process

Natural resources: Wind turbines in Gouda in the Cape Winelands district municipality. Mpumalanga has good wind and sun for renewable energy initiatives. Photo: Dwayne Senior/Bloomberg/Gallo Images

Eskom: Mpumalanga a renewable energy hub

The province at the polluting heart of energy production has good wind and solar resources and can use the grid as coal-fired power stations are decommissioned

Skilled but no jobs: South Africa’s history of dispossession and exclusion demands purposeful intervention to build a more just and inclusive economy. Photo: Delwyn Verasamy/M&G

Mr President, the government can — and should — create jobs

The private sector, experts say, cannot alone be entrusted with the important task of stopping South Africa’s unemployment tailspin

Power on: Koeberg nuclear station. The ANC Youth League has supported the development of nuclear energy, identifying it as “critical to advance massive industrial development”. Photo: Dwayne Senior/Bloomberg/Getty Images

The nuclear option: Should it carry South Africa’s baseload?

Some argue that nuclear power will get us to our clean energy goals faster, but other experts say it is unsafe, unaffordable and unnecessary

Alternatives: A hill of coal looms over Masakhane in eMalahleni. Eskom agrees that the transition from coal is already underway and that it needs to be efficient, sustainable and equitable. Photo: Marco Longari/AFP

‘No choice but to ditch coal’

The shift away from the fossil fuel will take time but analysts say it is imperative that South Africa accelerates the process

Failing to invest in a decarbonised economy could cost South Africa trillions, but calls to mobilise capital come amid fiscal strain. (Simon Dawson/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Critical climate plans hang on future international finance

Failing to invest in a greener economy could cost South Africa trillions, but calls to mobilise capital come amid fiscal strain

‘Not well’: The post-lockdown diagnosis for small business

And now another strict lockdown poses a new threat to businesses that struggled to keep going last year

South African mining output decreased by 0.8% in May. Photo: Waldo Swiegers/Bloomberg/Getty Images

Platinum records for South African mines

The miners are in a comfortable position as the world creeps towards a lower-carbon future

LIANJIANG, CHINA – JUNE 09: Aerial view of an abalone aquaculture farm on June 9, 2020 in Lianjiang County, Fujian Province of China. (Photo by Tan Ailong/VCG via Getty Images)

Covid-19 stems ‘white’ gold rush

The pandemic hit abalone farmers fast and hard. Prices have dropped and backers appear to be losing their appetite for investing in the delicacy

(Graphic by John McCann)

Provinces yet to sign deals with private hospitals

In preparation for a spike in the number of Covid-19 cases, talks between private hospital groups and the national health department on treating patients have been concluded