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South Africa, Our Burning Planet

What the new Cabinet could mean for SA’s energy and environment future

What the new Cabinet could mean for SA’s energy and environment future
Bantu Holomisa (left) and new water and sanitation minister Pemmy Majodina. (Photo : Shelley Christians)
Julia Evans
By Julia Evans
2 Jul 2024
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The government of national unity has brought about a new Cabinet and significant changes with it. What could some of these shifts hold for SA’s energy and environmental policies?

On Sunday night, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a new Cabinet, to accommodate the formation of the government of national unity (GNU). Considering the potential impacts on SA’s energy and environmental imperatives, the changes in the ministries of energy, the environment and water are of particular interest.

Energy portfolio


The energy portfolio has moved from Gwede Mantashe’s hands (the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy he headed is now the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources) to Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, who is now the minister of both electricity and energy.

“It is good to see energy and electricity as a distinct portfolio,” said Harald Winkler, a professor at UCT’s School of Economics. “While progress [was] made under Minister Ramokgopa on fixing the problems in Eskom that underlie load shedding, the efforts by the technical teams need to be sustained so that we get through winter and resolve the problems permanently.”

Energy analyst and electrical engineer Chris Yelland welcomed the move.

“I think the performance of Gwede Mantashe as minister of mineral resources and energy was underwhelming,” he said, adding that Mantashe had a lot on his plate as minister of minerals and energy, while also being chairperson of the ANC.

“When it comes to electricity, I think Mantashe singularly failed, to the extent that the President decided to appoint a minister of electricity to lead the President’s emergency energy plan to end load shedding fast and to head the National Energy Crisis Committee (Necom).”

Yelland said Ramokgopa had lived up to the challenge, leading Necom, mobilising Eskom, business, the private sector, the residential sector and industry — and most significantly, bringing load shedding to an end.

“Minister Ramokgopa has been the face of the task to end load shedding and is being rewarded with high political office for the results achieved. I think it’s a good thing — this is democracy at work.”

Yelland believes the new Department of Electricity and Energy needs to rework and finalise the outdated Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) for electricity, the national planning framework that outlines SA’s long-term electricity supply and demand goals. The long-awaited 2023 Draft IRP for electricity came out at the end of 2023 for public comment, but was roundly criticised, with experts and stakeholders decrying it as “woefully inadequate”.

Read more in Daily Maverick: ‘A shoddy piece of work’ — experts decry South Africa’s new blueprint for energy

Yelland noted that the new ministry also needed to prepare and publish a national Integrated Energy Plan (IEP), coordinating demand and supply of all primary energy resources and energy carriers, and not just electricity. 

An approved IEP for South Africa has never been published before, despite being referred to in Section 6 of the National Energy Act of 2008. 

A Government Gazette from April 2023 announced that Section 6 of the National Energy Act would come into effect on 30 March 2024, meaning that legally, Ramokgopa needs to publish the first IEP by 31 March 2025.

Yelland said: “South Africa is a country without an energy or electricity plan — we don’t have an IEP, and we don’t have an updated IRP.”

New environment minister


cabinet environment Dion George The DA’s Dion George is the new minister of forestry, fisheries and environment. (Photo: Gallo Images / Misha Jordaan)



Barbara Creecy has been replaced as minister of forestry, fisheries and the environment by the DA’s Dion George.

George was a member of Parliament from 2008 to 2015 and from 2018 to now. He served as shadow minister of finance and party whip in the National Assembly and as a trustee of the Political Office-Bearers’ Pension Fund. 

He has a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) in Finance and Investment from Wits University, and a Doctor of Business Leadership degree from Unisa.

His background in finance made his appointment as environment minister a surprise, although his recent role as the head of the DA’s Knysna constituency saw him involved in water and environmental issues.

George helped the Western Cape government to open a criminal case against the Knysna Municipality for failing to implement directives issued by the provincial Department of Local Government.

Winkler noted that George was not known as a figure in climate discussions.

“[George’s] background in finance may be helpful to implement climate action,” he said. “But he will need to fill big shoes. Barbara Creecy has been a very good minister on climate change. Under her tenure, a Climate Change Bill was widely consulted.”

Creecy introduced the Climate Change Bill, which was adopted by the National Council of Provinces in April and now awaits the President’s signature to enact it into law. 

“President Ramaphosa needs to sign that as an urgent matter. And the new minister will need to implement the law and ensure SA takes action to reduce emissions, prepare for worsening climate impacts and address loss and damage,” said Winkler.

George told the Knysna Plett Herald on 30 June, following his appointment, that the Department of Fisheries, Forestry and the Environment (DFFE) was a large portfolio.

He noted its responsibility to national parks, forestry and marine resources, and its crucial responsibility to the just energy transition, “which is basically a massive transformation of our economy from a high carbon economy to a green economy — and, of course, it is responsible for the conservation of our natural resources”.

Kate Handley, the executive director of the Biodiversity Law Centre, said this “suggests he understands the importance and breadth of his portfolio, covering not only our national parks, but forestry resources and crucially, the Just Energy Transition”.

Noting that George said the DFFE, “is very much an economic portfolio” Handley added: “We note his extensive experience in the economic cluster, but flag that the environment portfolio requires more than an economic perspective. The Constitution recognises the intrinsic value of the environment, and it cannot only be dealt with through an economic lens. 

“While we certainly hope to see the realisation of goals set in the White Paper on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biodiversity, we urge the new minister to have special regard to section 24 of the Constitution, and specifically the obligations of protecting the environment.

“Ecologically sustainable development requires so much more than just economic development. Given Mr George’s background, we may see policies such as the National Biodiversity Economy Strategy being pushed through, about which we have some serious concerns (particularly the industrial-scale commercialisation of wildlife).”

Read more in Daily Maverick: Ramaphosa and Creecy defend controversial ‘biodiversity business’ plan

The National Biodiversity Economy Strategy was published for comment this year and is meant to be aligned with the goals of the White Paper on Conservation and Sustainable Use. It aims to leverage the biodiversity economy to promote conservation and species and ecosystems management, which has drawn criticism.

“The growing market for financial instruments for nature, and South Africa’s leading innovations in this space, offer exciting opportunities to grow our economy and to do so sustainably,” Candice Stevens, the CEO of the Sustainable Finance Coalition, told Daily Maverick.

“The role of sustainable finance is vital if we are to effectively realise these burgeoning opportunities, something Minister Creecy, in her role as minister for the environment, supported,” she said, speaking of the tax incentive for threatened species the coalition helped unlock with the DFFE.

Read more in Daily Maverick: New tax incentive might be just what’s needed to save SA’s threatened species

The Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) thanked Creecy, who is now minister of transport, for her willingness to work with stakeholders and NGOs, and commended her work on tabling the Climate Change Bill and the convening of the high-level panel into the management of rhinos, lions, leopards and elephants, which has resulted in groundbreaking developments.

“The EWT recognises that conserving the environment and supporting sustainable development for our people requires active engagement with business and finance,” said the EWT on Monday. “The appointment of Dr George is, hopefully, catalytic.”

The conservation non-profit added that the EWT’s National Biodiversity and Business Network, “recognises that business is the single biggest impactor of the environment, and the silos of business, government and biodiversity need to urgently come together.”

Dr Ferrial Adam from WaterCAN, an initiative of the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse, said, “We hope that the new minister acknowledges the challenges our country faces due to the impacts of climate change and acts urgently. Minister Creecy’s track record was moderate — we require a minister who prioritises the planet over profit.”

Water ministry 


cabinet pemmy majodina Bantu Holomisa (left) and new water and sanitation minister Pemmy Majodina. (Photo: Shelley Christians)



The Department of Water and Sanitation has also seen a change in management, with the ANC’s Senzo Mchunu, who was the minister there from 2021, replaced by the party’s Pemmy Majodina. 

Adam said WaterCAN had expected Mchunu to retain his position as he was doing good work, rectifying many problems related to poor performance by his predecessors.

“We urge the new minister, Pemmy Majodina, to continue the good work that has been done in water and sanitation, as we have a water crisis in the country with regard to service delivery and pollution,” she said.

Professor Anja du Plessis, a water management expert and associate professor at Unisa, said she was sad to see Mchunu moved to a different portfolio as he and his team had made positive strides in turning around the water and sanitation sector.

“They have truly done a lot by bringing back the publication of the Blue, Green and No Drop reports, amendments to the National Water Act, Water Services Act, as well as norms and standards, just to name a few,” she said.

Du Plessis emphasised the urgent need for equitable water access and reliable potable water supply across South Africa, especially in rural areas and smaller towns. 

She underscored the importance of Mchunu’s proposed polluter register in preserving water quality alongside quantity, stressing that infrastructure maintenance was crucial for addressing localised water challenges.

“Addressing ‘water shedding’ is just the tip of the iceberg and there is still a lot of work which needs to be done within our water sector,” she said. DM

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