South Africa’s Sustainability Transition: The Case of the Mpumalanga Province and its Coal-dependent Communities

Abstract Sustainability transitions, though critical to engage in at this juncture of world history, pose significant challenges for carbon-dependent communities in peripheral regions. This is particularly true in the Global South where economic alternatives to decarbonisation and state capacity to provide leadership and welfare assistance are limited and mono-economies are common. This chapter draws on the concepts of sustainability, energy and just transitions and their spatial and multi-scalar implications to reflect on how current efforts and challenges to decarbonise South Africa’s economy are playing out. Particularly, attention is paid to the country’s most coal-dependent region, that of the Mpumalanga province, where the majority of the country’s coal mines and power stations are concentrated. The chapter discusses how South Africa is undertaking both sustainable energy and just transitions and the challenges which are emerging for that country and its most coal-dependent communities. While elements of rescaling are taking place, local capacity and resource constraints are hindering the ability to transition timeously and effectively.