President Cyril Ramaphosa finally brought the topic of sustainable development to the heartland of coal-producing Mpumalanga, cajoling the province’s people to transition from coal to alternative renewable energy. “We have plans to transition to a low-carbon, climate resilient economy. This will have an impact on the mining and energy industry in Mpumalanga and on communities that depend on these industries,” Ramaphosa said.
“We have plans to transition to a low-carbon, climate resilient economy. This will have an impact on the mining and energy industry in Mpumalanga and on communities that depend on these industries,” Ramaphosa said. The president’s statement was seen as the first direct attempt by government to shift the province’s focus away from coal, Mpumalanga’s central product and economic centrepiece, to consider emission-free alternatives and their advantages.
But he vowed to ensure that would not happen in Mpumalanga. He promised the province’s businesses government was working to ease conditions for them to operate, touting the district development model as a solution to many problems they encountered.