Robust re-visioning required for South Africa's electricity and energy policy and plans

SOUTH Africa's electricity and energy system is foundational to unlocking inclusive development and economic opportunities. Energy access defines the boundary between marginalisation and participation, between poverty and potential. It powers schools, clinics, and businesses. It drives growth and dignity. Yet, even after loadshedding has subsided, millions of South Africans will still live with unreliable, inadequate, or unaffordable electricity, undermining the promise of a fair and prosperous society.

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The Presidential Climate Commission’s (PCC) report, the Net Zero CO2 Emission Pathways (2024) outlines the multidimensional nature of South Africa's energy crisis. While coal remains the dominant source of electricity generation, the fleet is ageing, technically unreliable, and environmentally unsustainable - responsible for over 40% of South Africa’s total Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions.

And, although coal is economically irreplaceable in the short term, its future is limited, and its continued dominance constrains both development and decarbonisation.

Compounding this, South Africa faces a looming “gas cliff,” yet there are mixed signals on the transition to new gas infrastructure in a way that balances short-term power needs with long-term climate goals. The persistence of energy poverty remains a moral and developmental challenge. Millions of South Africans still lack access to consistent, clean, and affordable electricity. Without affordable and reliable energy, economic reindustrialisation and job creation remain out of reach.

The annual electricity tariffs hikes continue to bite like our winter, squeezing already vulnerable households and small businesses under strain. Municipalities — many of which depend heavily on electricity revenue — are caught in a fiscal trap, struggling to maintain financial sustainability while ensuring basic service delivery. Environmental and health impacts and costs continue to escalate, especially in the coal regions where the PCC’s Co-Benefits of Net Zero Pathways Technical Report (2024) quantifies the opportunity of addressing the devastating impacts of poor air quality.