South Africa’s Just Energy Transition (JET) has been criticised for being slow, underfunded and behind schedule – and there’s evidence for all three. But a senior figure driving it says the momentum is real and accelerating.

Fossil Free South Africa is supporting 350.org’s Free Basic Electricity (FBE) campaign, which highlights that electricity is becoming increasingly unaffordable but should be a common good. The aim is to make FBE a key issue in the November local government elections.

You might keep reading in the news, or hearing from friends and family, that South Africa still needs coal, oil and gas for socioeconomic development. This is a common narrative, but it’s a myth: studies show that renewable energy, not fossil fuels, is associated with growth in sub-Saharan African countries.

‍In its third verdict in favour of our Fossil Ad Ban campaign, South Africa’s Advertising Regulatory Board recently ruled that its members may no longer publish advertisements with broad descriptions like “green”, “environmentally friendly”, and “sustainable, unless these claims are clearly qualified or contextualised.

Our individual power is considerable, our collective power enormous. This was one of the themes at our Climate Hope launch in Cape Town last Saturday. Here are some highlights.

Holding conversations about climate is one of the most important actions we can take. How can we do this in ways that are more likely to open minds than close them? Here are a few lessons from experienced climate communicators.

In this Climate Beat SA newsletter for South African journalists and content creators: our our Climate Media Lab stories start to land, Santa Marta brings hope, and we highlight climate resources and opportunities.

Researchers have found that taking action goes a long way to alleviating climate anxiety, and can even “transform feelings into optimism and determination”. Young people who take action “feel optimistic, calmer and in control,” one of several studies found.

We’re launching a “community journey” for the rest of 2026, designed to bring you all a little closer to our work and to each other. Sign up, take part in our activities when you can, and we’ll note all your contributions. At the end, we’ll acknowledge those who complete the journey as our “climate champions”.

Last week, we launched our first Conscious Capital course on the links between personal finance, social justice, and environmental security, at UCT. Conscious Capital is exploring how to manage our money and become more financially secure in ways that also support the prosperity of others.

Our fellow NPO The Green Connection has developed a South African variant “doughnut economics” called “koeksister economics”, which is empowering a host of West Coast communities

After 10 years of lobbying – supported largely by high-school students – Fossil Free California succeeded in persuading a major college savings plan to divest its enormous $16.5 billion in assets from coal, oil, and gas companies.

At Fossil Free SA, we support a truly just and inclusive transition to renewable energy. Our role is not to build energy projects ourselves, but to help shape the social, financial, and political conditions that make such a transition possible.

One of the most beneficial elements of South Africa’s JET is the emergence of Socially Owned Renewable Energy (SORE) — renewable energy projects that are owned, governed, or meaningfully shared by communities and workers.

Socially owned and community-benefiting renewable projects remain rare. Oxpeckers’ #PowerTracker reveals that only 15% of all renewable energy projects in South Africa offer any form of community benefit.

There are several ways you can support and amplify the work of Fossil Free SA and our fellow NPOs advocating for climate justice and the JET.

Looking back at 2025, it’s not our achievements that stand out but our sense that we are part of a still growing and unstoppable movement for climate justice – with you, our supporters and partners. Very little of our work was done alone. Most of it was planned and grew wings within a large community of fellow activists and citizens.

A special drum roll goes to our many volunteers and supporters. Your passion for our work inspires us to keep on going, and your generous contributions have grown our organisation into a community. You regularly attend our events, champion us on social media, volunteer your time and efforts, and donate to our organisation – in no particular order of importance. Thank you!

The University of Cape Town’s Convocation, the body representing alumni and academics, has again backed our call for the university to divest from all fossil fuels by 2029, the deadline it set three years ago. The motion was passed at the Convocation meeting of 4 December 2025 to resounding applause.

In our first legal case, Fossil Free South Africa is joining shareholder activist organisation Just Share and asset manager Aeon Investment Management in court action against coal company Thungela Resources. The outcome could set a precedent for all South African companies’ accountability to their shareholders on issues including climate.