What role for social policies in the framework of the just transition in South Africa?

This paper explores the extent to which social policies in South Africa might serve as mechanisms to enhance the transition to a low carbon economy and contribute to mitigating some of the negative impacts towards ensuring a holistic and just transition. It attempts to contribute to the fluid and contested nature of the debate on a just transition in South Africa by mapping the entrenched historical implications of coal use, overlaying these with a description of some of the policies developed to address energy and climate change and analysing the extent to which current social protection policies, designed to facilitate well-being, might be harnessed towards a more equitable society and a just transition.