The Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Dr Dion George, has highlighted the Department’s role as one of South Africa’s largest generators of work opportunities, particularly for young people, women, and marginalised groups.
“Every government decision must be judged by whether it creates work. In our Department, we can say with confidence that our programmes do exactly that. They provide jobs today while building the skills South Africa needs tomorrow,” Minister George said.
Through the Expanded Public Works Programme, the Department has committed to creating 121 059 work opportunities over the next five years, equal to more than 77 000 full-time jobs. Sixty percent of these opportunities will go to women, 55 percent to youth, and 2 percent to persons with disabilities.
The Minister noted that initiatives such as Youth Environmental Services, Youth Jobs in Waste, and Environmental Monitors are giving thousands of South Africans accredited training, mentorship, and career pathways in biodiversity conservation, aquaculture, waste management, and renewable energy.
He explained that the National Employment Vulnerability Assessment ensures that workers in coal, metals, petroleum, agriculture, and tourism are supported with resilience plans. This makes the country’s just transition practical, not abstract, by ensuring that people in older industries are equipped to participate in the new economy.
The Minister also pointed to rising global support for just transition finance, noting that investors are already shifting billions into sustainability projects. In South Africa, the Just Energy Transition Investment Plan has attracted over R350 billion in private renewable energy investment since 2023, alongside significant international commitments.
“Every new solar panel, every waste separation project, every environmental monitor we train is more than a line in a report. It is dignity, it is work, it is a future for families across South Africa,” the Minister said.
He emphasised that the Department’s focus is not only on job numbers, but also on the quality of work, with training and support that prepare participants for long-term employment.
“Our programmes show that climate action and job creation are the same project. South Africa’s largest jobs initiative is not in spite of sustainability. It is green growth itself,” Minister George concluded.
