Q&A: As Trump cuts clean energy, South Africa "not backtracking"

• U.S. pulls funding for South Africa green transition
• South Africa committed to decarbonising over time
• Asian countries also expanding renewables

JOHANNESBURG - Under U.S. President Donald Trump's administration, climate change regulation, research and funding have been slashed, including the cash meant to help developing countries like South Africa transition from coal to cleaner energy.

But while green goals may take longer to hit, the head of the just energy transition unit in South Africa's presidency - a body overseeing the shift to clean energy - said the country is "not backtracking on its climate commitments."

Context spoke with Joanne Yawitch about South Africa's plans to transition to clean energy and how to finance energy access for ordinary South Africans.

Where is South Africa on its green transition road map?

November 2021 is basically where it began, but since then there's been a broadening of partners.

A few years ago we did an analysis of (our grant financing) and essentially what we realised is that very little of it was flowing directly to initiatives on the ground.

One of the things that we have done is to set up something called a funding platform launched in October 2024. It is a matchmaking facility.

We take project proposals from small and large businesses, community organisations and trade unions to grant funders to get them funding in a much more direct way.

There are people looking at things like mine rehabilitation, circular economy projects, recycling and waste projects. We have received hundreds of inputs.

It's been very interesting to see that there is no shortage of ideas out there about what you need to make a just transition work.

Do you think U.S. climate reversals have made it harder for your team to push for green reforms?

I don't see South Africa backtracking on its climate commitments. It might take longer to achieve them, but I don't think that there's any understanding that the urgency of doing so has receded.

In fact, I think that the increase in extreme weather events and the consequences of it in South Africa mean it's seen as a much more urgent thing to do.

The less climate mitigation that is undertaken globally, the more adaptation you're going to need, the higher the cost.

I think that you must look at what's happening globally.

India, for example, has now got 50% of its installed (renewable) capacity. They've met their 2030 targets five years ahead of schedule. China has over-capacity at the moment.

The infrastructure that you need for renewables is (affordable), and you've got other countries like Bangladesh and Pakistan that are buying up that infrastructure in large, large quantities.

I don't think that we must only look at the West. I think it's very important to understand what is happening, in particular across Asia, and I think there is an unstoppable move to a diversified and a cleaner energy economy.

Can you clarify how much money is needed for the transition and how much is already pledged?

We need to mobilise and deploy around $98 billion to basically put the country on a trajectory that would enable it to meet its 2030 (climate goals).

Some $12.9 billion is what has been pledged by partners to support South Africa. And that is pledges. It doesn't mean that all or even most of that has flowed, but there are pledges of support.

We reckon that another roughly 500 billion rand ($28 billion) is likely to come from private sector investment, whether in (electricity) generation, transmission or in distribution.

What is your response to the criticism that the just energy transition is not moving fast enough?

Is anything moving fast enough? I do think that if you look at our infrastructure needs in the country and the pace at which we've been able to deal with them, it's not optimal.

I think we've got a catch-up to do, but I think there is a shift and a change that is happening that over time is going to gain traction. Every country in the world is trying to expand their transmission grid at the moment.

I do think that we must bear in mind something very important: we want a transition that is an orderly and phased transition.

We are not talking about the end of coal tomorrow in South Africa. Coal is in the system for a long time to come, but maybe as a declining proportion of the energy economy.

And we need to see that as an opportunity to put the alternatives in place and to be able to secure the additional investments at the same time.

It is a decades-long transition, and that's the opportunity that it gives us: to try and prevent serious shocks from happening.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

(Reporting by Kim Harrisberg. Editing by Jack Graham and Ellen Wulfhorst.)