The global goal to transitioning to renewable energy has created a dilemma for the international community. This, however, has the potential to slow the industrial capabilities of developing countries. From South Africa’s experiences, most developing countries lack the necessary resources, such as the large sums of money required to build the infrastructure, needed for a comprehensive shift to renewable energy. Furthermore, the world’s industrial infrastructure is still geared toward using fossil fuels as its primary source of energy. Given this reality, it is critical to underline that, in order to sustain human development, the energy transition must have a minimal impact on countries’ industrial capacities and development, particularly in developing countries. To mitigate the potential negative consequences of the energy transition, developing countries should not rush into the renewable energy bandwagon without first thoroughly examining and understanding the ramifications, particularly for their industrialisation capability and infrastructure development. South Africa’s experience with renewable energy serves as an example, particularly for the developing countries. Through the development and implementation of renewable energy policies, as well as investments in renewable energy technologies, the country has demonstrated that it is possible to transition away from fossil fuels toward a sustainable renewable energy future. This paper offers recommendations for energy transition options that developing countries should examine. It outlines the history of South Africa’s electrical supply, demand and production. It looks into how prior energy policies arose, assesses their benefits and drawbacks, and examines how they matured over time. The goal is to contribute to an understanding of the industrial effects of the transition to renewable energy sources, which is being considered globally.