ANC branch meetings on track ahead of conference

[View in browser]( [Mail & Guardian]( M&G Mornings | Thu 03 Nov   Just who will fund the transition of South Africa, the continent’s most industrialised economy, from fossil fuels based economy to one based on cleaner energy sources over the next couple of decades? This was always going to be a very, very complex question. For one, would we as its citizenry trust the state with the purse strings on the evidence of the wastage and corruption we’d seen in the build of two coal-fired power stations in Medupi and Kusile. Fair to say, there’s little trust going around for a state-led transition. But if you consider the real costs of a transition from all those coal-fired power plants in Mpumalanga, whilst still looking after those communities that depend on them and the collieries that feed those boilers, we know that the state just has to be involved. This is no private affair. With confidence lacking in the capacity of state at its lowest ebb, President Cyril Ramaphosa had as hard a job as any in getting this transition project up and running to a point where we all believe it possible when he took the mantle more than four years ago. (Yes, it’s been that long.) The past fifteen years of ANC governance, which we speak about in our newest podcast “Chief,” whose first or six episodes becomes available this Friday, tells the story of just how credibility in the governance of the party has been lost. It’s a pity, because the transition project – done well and with consideration for the communities reliant on coal – is literally a game-changer for the country. That was the story of the Just Transition until February this year – a story of a lack of confidence in the state. It became just that more difficult when Russia invaded Ukraine, breathing life into what was clearly a dormant but not dead Cold War. Gas to Europe from Putin’s country was suddenly no longer guaranteed affecting the greenest of electricity users in Germany. It has served to give new life to the fossil fuel market globally. It’s unbelievable that today, the country once led by Angela Merkel is moving whole municipalities to expand coal mining. From a war that was supposed to last a month to at least three, we are now sitting in the ninth month. It has been the black swan event that has tripped up the world’s green energy push – and for a South African transition story that was already on the backfoot. Given this background, we should all be very, very interested in what happens in Egypt over the next week as the United Nations gathers at COP27. Maybe we will get an idea of who will help us fund this multi-billion dollar project? It’s complex … Speak to you soon Ron Derby | Editor-in-Chief [@RonDerby]( [Subscribe now]( to enjoy unlimited access to The Mail & Guardian for only R99 per month.   Premium [ANC’s branch general meetings on track as deadline looms]( More than 70% of the party’s branches have already completed their nominations ahead of the December elective conference Join thousands of South Africans who want a more just South Africa. Read past party lines, past the bluster and the distortion. Get the best reporting, analysis and commentary that is factual, balanced and fair with uninterrupted access to all Mail & Guardian content online. Plus - Preferential access to Mail & Guardian events - Get daily conversation starters straight into your inbox - An invitation to join the newsroom’s Review session on Friday mornings - Lend your expertise and experience to the stories we tell [// Read more]( Articles labelled as Premium are only available to subscribers. [CLICK HERE]( to subscribe Already a subscriber? [SIGN IN HERE]( Premium [How one project is cooling down thousands of homes]( Cool Surfaces Project uses cool coating technology to mitigate climate change and protect South Africa’s fragile electricity grid Join thousands of South Africans who want a more just South Africa. Read past party lines, past the bluster and the distortion. Get the best reporting, analysis and commentary that is factual, balanced and fair with uninterrupted access to all Mail & Guardian content online. Plus - Preferential access to Mail & Guardian events - Get daily conversation starters straight into your inbox - An invitation to join the newsroom’s Review session on Friday mornings - Lend your expertise and experience to the stories we tell [// Read more]( Premium [Budget austerity ‘a victory’, but at what cost?]( Critics of fiscal consolidation warned that spending cuts would harm an already fragile economy Join thousands of South Africans who want a more just South Africa. Read past party lines, past the bluster and the distortion. Get the best reporting, analysis and commentary that is factual, balanced and fair with uninterrupted access to all Mail & Guardian content online. Plus - Preferential access to Mail & Guardian events - Get daily conversation starters straight into your inbox - An invitation to join the newsroom’s Review session on Friday mornings - Lend your expertise and experience to the stories we tell [// Read more]( Recommended Reads [The US Embassy’s Sandton terror alert failed to meet the basic parameters of security threat assessment]( While the US has every right to protect citizens and its embassies, it should do so with the cooperation of the host country Join thousands of South Africans who want a more just South Africa. Read past party lines, past the bluster and the distortion. Get the best reporting, analysis and commentary that is factual, balanced and fair with uninterrupted access to all Mail & Guardian content online. Plus - Preferential access to Mail & Guardian events - Get daily conversation starters straight into your inbox - An invitation to join the newsroom’s Review session on Friday mornings - Lend your expertise and experience to the stories we tell [// Read more]( Premium [Joburgers flee the purple paradise]( Just as the fragile jacaranda flowers drop, so too does the city’s water and electricity supply Join thousands of South Africans who want a more just South Africa. Read past party lines, past the bluster and the distortion. Get the best reporting, analysis and commentary that is factual, balanced and fair with uninterrupted access to all Mail & Guardian content online. Plus - Preferential access to Mail & Guardian events - Get daily conversation starters straight into your inbox - An invitation to join the newsroom’s Review session on Friday mornings - Lend your expertise and experience to the stories we tell [// Read more]( [Public protector office asked to pay for Mkhwebane’s ‘spiritual war’]( The consultants were brought in to counter ‘beholden judges’ after the courts set aside Busisiwe Mkhwebane’s reports Join thousands of South Africans who want a more just South Africa. Read past party lines, past the bluster and the distortion. Get the best reporting, analysis and commentary that is factual, balanced and fair with uninterrupted access to all Mail & Guardian content online. Plus - Preferential access to Mail & Guardian events - Get daily conversation starters straight into your inbox - An invitation to join the newsroom’s Review session on Friday mornings - Lend your expertise and experience to the stories we tell [// Read more]( [Domestic work in Africa goes digital]( The new app is like that for an e-hailing taxi service, only it connects housekeepers and employers Join thousands of South Africans who want a more just South Africa. Read past party lines, past the bluster and the distortion. Get the best reporting, analysis and commentary that is factual, balanced and fair with uninterrupted access to all Mail & Guardian content online. Plus - Preferential access to Mail & Guardian events - Get daily conversation starters straight into your inbox - An invitation to join the newsroom’s Review session on Friday mornings - Lend your expertise and experience to the stories we tell [// Read more]( Premium [Is there Rain in Telkom’s future?]( The Telkom-Rain deal is still on the table but analysts are divided on whether it will be successful Join thousands of South Africans who want a more just South Africa. Read past party lines, past the bluster and the distortion. Get the best reporting, analysis and commentary that is factual, balanced and fair with uninterrupted access to all Mail & Guardian content online. Plus - Preferential access to Mail & Guardian events - Get daily conversation starters straight into your inbox - An invitation to join the newsroom’s Review session on Friday mornings - Lend your expertise and experience to the stories we tell [// Read more]( Pic of the day A child plays ball on the beach ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Doha. (Mohammed Dabbous/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) [Share]( [Share]( [Tweet]( [Tweet]( [Forward]( [Forward]( This email was sent to {EMAIL} [why did I get this?]( [unsubscribe from this list]( [update subscription preferences]( Mail & Guardian Media LTD · 25 Owl St · Braamfontein · Johannesburg, Gauteng 2001 · South Africa