Hundreds of schoolchildren march from Parliament to the Cape Town City Hall on 14 June 2019. The march sought to highlight and create awareness of climate change and the adverse effects it will have in the future if not addressed. (Photo: Gallo Images / Brenton Geach) 
As South Africa makes its final preparations to host the G20 Summit in 2025, the country faces a defining moment. The G20 is not just another high-level meeting. It is one of the world’s most influential convenings, with the power to shape global climate action, technology governance and the pace of the Just Energy Transition.
For South Africa, the summit is a chance to put Africa’s development and its young people at the centre of global discussions. Yet the reality on the ground tells a different story: young people in coal-dependent communities remain excluded from the very processes that will determine their future.
Climate change hits the poorest first
To say this year was unprecedented would be an understatement. The US’ exit from the Paris Agreement served as a wake-up call for African countries, specifically South Africa, reminding us that, to some extent, we need to take ownership of our transition and not solely rely on international alliances to take the lead in our national affairs.
Climate change presents threats to development with its widespread, unprecedented impacts, which burden the poorest and most vulnerable communities. Climate change is already disrupting lives in South Africa. Severe flooding in KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape since June 2024 claimed 400 lives and damaged 247 homes, according to media reports.
Tafadzwanashe Mabhaudhi, the director of the Lancet Countdown Africa, and Mendy Ndlovu, the coordinator of the Wellcome Trust-funded Sustainable and Healthy Food systems for Southern Africa Project, warn that urgent action needs to be taken to tackle climate change, as most vulnerable African communities and individuals lack adaptive capacity to face the worsening realities of climate change. This is not a distant problem. It is here, and it is hitting those least prepared to recover.
The coal dependency dilemma
South Africa is one of the leading coal-mining countries, accounting for 90% of the coal used towards powering African countries. With the world slowly transitioning to renewable energy, this means that about 92,000 workers in the coal-mining industry and coal-powered stations will be left destitute, with an unclear future for themselves and their families.
Furthermore, Africa is home to the youngest population in the world, with 33.1% who will soon be the main contributors to the country’s workforce and economy. Yet most remain locked out of decision-making about the transition that will determine their livelihoods.
There is a need for the involvement of the people on the ground during the just transition processes, and by involvement we mean informing them about just transition; what it is, how it is going to work, how they are going to be helped with reskilling and upskilling through designated initiatives, as well as what they suggest and how can they help.
Sibusiso Mazomba, a campaigner at African Climate Alliance, says that within the centre of a just transition there should also be the principles of democracy, and the people living in coal-dependent communities, especially the young, should have a say in their future.
Oxpeckers Investigative Environmental Journalism reports that young people and the coal-mining communities in Mpumalanga are not aware of the Just Energy Transition. With the closure of the Komati power station in October 2022, Eskom reported that the plant will be converted into a renewable generation site powered by solar, wind and storage batteries.
Read more: Komati Power Station — the cautionary tale of the Just Energy Transition and lessons to be learnt
However, residents are not aware of any reskilling facilities, upskilling or training available to help them benefit from these opportunities. The closure of coal mines should come with reskilling and upskilling of mine workers and young people in coal-mining communities to have a fair and Just Energy Transition.
Read more: Just Energy Transition: How consulting firms profit amid climate crisis challenges
While the Just Energy Transition seems to be an answer to combat climate change, many coal-dependent communities are not aware, or not part of, the process of decommissioning coal mines.
Derek Davey and Onke Ngcuka have reported that young people are not involved in the policies that guide the Just Energy Transition, and that they must be partners in and not beneficiaries of youth programmes. Civil society must put more pressure on the government to make space for young people to have a real say in policymaking and implementation.
The opportunity of the green economy
The irony is that the green economy could be the answer to South Africa’s twin crises of climate change and youth unemployment. The International Labour Organization says 15 to 60 million new jobs could be created from the just transition and the green economy, lifting tens of millions out of poverty.
Studies by Ge and Zhi, as well as Chan and Lam, show that sectors such as solar energy drive not only employment but also broader social and environmental benefits.
The G20 test
As the summit approaches, the question is not whether South Africa will host a successful event; with all that budget, it surely will. The real test is whether we are going to see genuine inclusion of young people within the Just Energy Transition or whether, once again, the discussions will be dominated by the so-called “senior youth”.
The G20 represents the world’s powerful economies with policies that have the ability to shape climate action and technology governance and influence the pace and direction of the Just Energy Transition and is therefore one of the most influential convenings that needs to be taken advantage of in terms of highlighting the country’s dire needs.
There is no doubt that the Y20 is occupying spaces and advocating for affected young people. However, the challenge lies in whether the G20 is ready to be on the ground and not simply take recommendations from high-end meeting tables, and instead integrate young people directly into the processes that lead to binding policy outcomes.
As President Cyril Ramaphosa said, “we will put Africa’s development at the top of the agenda when we host the G20 in 2025”. It is important that this commitment includes ensuring youth engagement that is meaningful, representative and connected to real concerns. DM
Siboniso Sikhakhane is a masculinity activist in the University of Johannesburg’s Sociology Department and a researcher for Restless Development on green jobs and the youth. Nomthandazo Mabena is a Future for Africa Fellow at Don’t Gas Africa (Power Shift Africa).