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Inclusive planning and capacity-building are critical if the country’s people are to benefit from the renewable energy sector The transition to a green hydrogen economy, and overall accelerated renewable energy growth as outlined in the South African Renewable Energy Masterplan (SAREM) must be underpinned by a deliberate focus on targeted skills development to equip locals for the expected clean energy jobs rush. If we fail at this, South Africa risks repeating the extractive pitfalls of the platinum sector, warned Tony Ehrenreich of trade union federation COSATU during a panel discussion at the Green Hydrogen Summit in Cape Town yesterday (12 June). Ehrenreich emphasised that strategic industrial masterplans must avoid the historical pattern of exporting raw materials without local beneficiation. ‘Enlightened self-interest’ must drive clean energy sector “Fifteen years ago, we didn’t have deliberate planning for the platinum industry. We exported the raw materials, imported high value-added products, and lost jobs, capacity and economic opportunity. “Now, we have the chance to change that with renewable energy… but only through industrial democracy that involves workers, communities, business and government,” said Ehrenreich. He warned that socio-economic transformation cannot be left to chance or to market forces. “We can’t continue with the same economic players who dominated before 1994. There must be a deliberate plan for transformation… not as charity, but as enlightened self-interest,” he said. South Africa must address socio-economic fault lines Ehrenreich noted that failure to address inequality in South Africa could lead to social and economic instability. “We’ve already seen what happened in the mining sector when unrest broke out. It shut down the economy. If we don’t get this right, the same could happen again.” He also cautioned against focusing solely on export markets while neglecting domestic demand, pointing out that widespread poverty remains a key constraint. “Forty percent of people in our country don’t have enough food in their stomachs. If people have no disposable income, there’s no demand for electricity, fridges, or stoves… and no driver for industrial growth,” he said. Ehrenreich called for greater oversight of public funding in the green economy to prevent elite capture, pointing to corruption in sectors like steel, bread and construction. “Public funds must deliver public benefit. That means a different approach, not one where we simply follow industry’s lead.” |
