The Presidential Climate Commission (PCC) will hold community consultations towards the implementation of a just transition framework for South Africa in Mpumalanga this week.
The consultations are intended to mitigate the social and economic impacts of the climate transition and to improve the livelihoods of those most vulnerable to the effects of climate change.
The consultations will take place in the Emalahleni Local Municipality on Wednesday and in the Govan Mbeki Local Municipality on Thursday.
This follows the approval of the framework by Cabinet. The framework puts South Africa on a path towards reaching climate and development aspirations, implementing policies and measures that support environmental justice and equity, and ensuring progress toward the national goal of reaching climate resiliency and net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
The PCC said the consultations will have undertakings from different social partners such as labour, youth, non-governmental organisations, business, faith-based communities and local government.
They will particularly focus on just transition programmes and initiatives in the Mpumalanga province such as the Mpumalanga Provincial Climate Compact and the Decommissioning of the Komati Power station, with responses from National Government, Local Government and Eskom.
The PCC will also give feedback on the issues raised in the last consultations in the province and work with the communities to come up with next steps for implementing the just transition framework.