In this episode of the TIPS Podcast, recorded at the Just Transition Labour Centre, host Thobani Khumalo speaks with Lebogang Mulaisi, Head of Research and Policy at the Presidential Climate Commission. Mulaisi explains why the JTLC was created by trade unions: to build a trusted, worker-led evidence base on South Africa’s transition, strengthen collective bargaining beyond wages, and ensure workers and communities are informed and protected as coal regions face disruption.

The discussion tackles core transition dilemmas: how a coal-dependent, ageing energy system shapes South Africa’s vulnerabilities; why green industrialisation offers real economic opportunity rather than a top-down agenda from the Global North; and what structural shifts are needed to create new sectors, jobs, and inclusive ownership models. Mulaisi also emphasises the importance of African regional coordination, arguing that the transition must deepen continental solidarity, technology sharing, and integrated industrial policy—rather than intensify national competition.

Looking ahead, she sees the JTLC becoming a model for the continent: a hub of worker-driven research, strategic insight, and policy influence that places employment, equity, and participation at the centre of a fair and prosperous green transition.