Sustainable Development in South Africa in the Anthropocene in the Post-Covid-19 Era

South Africa’s development strategy aligns with the Millennium Development GoalsMillennium Development Goals (MDGs) signed by leaders of 189 countries, which focuses on fighting povertyPoverty, promoting educationEducation, protecting the environment, and fighting hunger. The MDGs were superseded by the United Nations Sustainable DevelopmentSustainable development Goals (SDGs) Agenda. Unfortunately, the global call to transition from coal dependency to renewable energy, climate change-induced disastersClimate change induced disasters and the outbreak of Covid-19 haveCoronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) increased uncertainties about achieving the SDGs domestically and internationally. This article investigates both South Africa’sSouth Africa challenges and its opportunities with regard to overcoming the developmental and economic setbacks ensuing from the global healthHealth crisis and the anthropogenic effects of climate change. Designed as a case study, relying on a literary research method and an interpretive paradigm, the findings indicate that South Africa has the potential to achieve sustainable developmentDevelopment. However, the path to reach this requires: (1) reinvigorating the health infrastructure to withstand Covid-19’s global challenges, (2) setting forth robust strategies and policiesPolicy that uplift its citizens’ wellbeing to prevent violent riots that destroy the economy, (3) revitalising its struggling economy and creating jobs, (4) transitioning from coal-dependentCoal-dependent industryIndustry, economy and trade to an eco-friendly economy that grows from cleaner and renewable energy resources, (5) dealing with brain drainBrain-drain push factors, (6) pursuing the Policy Coherence for Development FrameworkPolicy coherence for development framework that is supported by political buy-in so as to align the National Development Plan’s (NDP) priorities with the 2030 SDGs Agenda.