- Communities affected by the closure of the Hendrina, Arnot and Komati power stations are meeting with government, business and development partners to shape local transition plans.
- The three day workshop in Steve Tshwete Local Municipality is focused on meaningful community participation, local economic opportunities and the challenges associated with coal plant closures.
- Participants will examine lessons from the decommissioning of Komati Power Station and identify potential pathways for jobs, livelihoods and community development.
Civil society organisation groundWork is facilitating a three day Just Transition Workshop in Steve Tshwete Local Municipality in Mpumalanga from 6 to 8 October, bringing together communities affected by the closure of coal fired power stations and a range of public and private sector stakeholders.
The workshop at Hlalamnandi Community Hall in Middelburg includes representatives from affected communities, local government, business, faith based organisations, development partners and the Presidential Climate Commission.
The objective is to establish an inclusive process through which communities can participate in shaping plans for the economic and social transition associated with the closure of Hendrina, Arnot and Komati power stations.
Thomas Mnguni, senior campaigner at groundWork, said the workshop is intended to give communities a stronger role in determining how the transition affects their livelihoods and local economies.
“We’re creating a space where communities are empowered to take more of a lead, where everyone feels included, where there is enough time for people to engage and share the challenges they face both on a local and municipal level,” Mnguni said.
He said communities affected by coal plant closures should be involved in transition planning from the outset, with their livelihoods and rights considered as part of the process.
Mnguni is also a member of a community governance forum at Komati Power Station, where the decommissioning process has provided lessons for the development of transition plans elsewhere.
According to groundWork, establishing clear leadership and accountability structures early in the process is important to ensuring that affected communities can participate effectively.
The Steve Tshwete workshop will introduce participants to principles of meaningful participation, including transparency, respect and the involvement of affected communities in decision making.
The programme will also use Asset Based Community Development to map existing resources, including land, water and community structures, with the aim of identifying potential transition pathways.
The first day will focus on the experiences of local communities, allowing participants to share their concerns and experiences. Discussions will then cover South Africa’s Just Transition Framework, the Climate Change Act and power station decommissioning processes.
Local government, business and other stakeholders will join the process on the second and third days. groundWork will present lessons from the Komati decommissioning process, while local government and development partners will be invited to outline their own transition plans.
The process is also intended to improve the flow of information to communities and identify opportunities for collaboration between existing initiatives.
Mnguni said communities face a range of challenges associated with the closure of coal power stations, including uncertainty over employment and limited access to information about planned developments.
“We anticipate that the meeting will develop a process to address the challenges communities currently face such as lack of information and potential joblessness, and we’re hoping to facilitate a process to develop plans more proactively to address these challenges,” he said.
Author: Bryan Groenendaal
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