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Mail & Guardian
energylatest news & developments
Africa has abundant renewable resources. Solar, wind and hydropower offer a path to greater stability.

Whose finger on the switch? The case for energy sovereignty in Africa

Energy insecurity turns treatable illness into financial crisis. Health resilience depends on energy sovereignty. Health systems cannot function reliably when they depend on…

Fleeing: Media is urged to stop calling white South Africans who relocated to United States ‘refugees’.

SA’s moral, technical high ground upends unipolar narrative

The “white genocide” narrative works inside this wider machinery. It racialises South Africa’s internal contradictions for foreign consumption. It turns a country struggling with…

Prof Khaled Abou-El-Hossein the Executive Dean of Engineering and Technology at the Vaal University of Technology (VUT) at the Green Hydrogen Centre of Excellence at the Southern Gauteng Science and Technology Park in Sebokeng. Picture: Ihsaan Haffejee

Vaal Hydrogen Hub’s hollow promises

A flagship green hydrogen project is positioned to support industrial development in the Vaal — but there’s no sign of it and little awareness among the communities it is meant…

At odds: Residents in Khutsong have refused to pay for electricity because of maladministration on the part of
the municipality. Photos: Barry Christianson
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Merafong’s energy poverty crisis deepens

Under prepaid metering systems, customers must pay upfront for electricity before they can use it

Two weeks to go – Africa Energy Indaba gears up for high-level continental energy dialogue

With just two weeks remaining until the Africa Energy Indaba, momentum is rapidly building for what promises to be one of the most influential energy gatherings on the continent.…

Collaborative governance: The government of national unity had promised stability and accelerated reform. Photo: @PresidencyZA/X

The hits and misses under the GNU

A year after the president’s first State of the Nation address as the leader of a coalition government, performance has been good and bad

Reindustrialisation, as well as diversified trade partners and dismantled apartheid spatial patterns, will get South Africa out of its socioeconomic mess. Photo: File

Here’s how South Africa can avoid the economic dependency path

It can rebuild the industrial base, create demand in the economy, diversify trade partnerships and deepen links with the continent’s regional trade networks, and, finally,…

Ramaphosa said the Just Energy Transition Investment Plan has attracted about R250 billion in international pledges for large-scale manufacturing, infrastructure and skills development.

Energy apartheid: Mining companies transition without justice

Anglo Platinum has invested in renewable energy but ignored the local community’s proposals for socially-owned clean energy

Catching on: Biogas production is starting to find traction in South Africa with companies such as Elgin Fruit Juices and PepsiCo’s Simba chips plant as well as small-scale farmers and schools. Photo: Supplied

Climate crisis: Look to circular economies

Producing cement, plastic, steel, aluminium and food causes greenhouse gases, but a circular economy can reduce emissions

Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa. (GCIS)

Government opens door to private sector to expand electricity transmission lines

Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa says a pilot project to involve the private sector in electricity transmission will provide the government with fiscal relief

Standard Bank Strengthens Commitment To Leading A Just Energy Transition For Africa With Updated Sustainable Finance Targets

Standard Bank, a leader in Africa’s energy and infrastructure development, is proud to announce changes to its sustainable finance mobilisation targets aimed at maximising…

Reliable power is essential for economic growth in key sectors such as manufacturing, where growth is vital for absorbing labour and addressing high unemployment levels. (Gianluigi Guercia/AFP/Getty Images)

What the budget and US climate policy shift mean for SA’s energy sector

The 2025 budget reflects a measured outlook on the energy landscape, highlighting progress that has been made and lingering problems

A new case study proposes that, as part of the country’s energy transition, mining-affected communities, like those in Sekhukhune, set up solar farms through cooperatives to generate electricity for their own use.

A new currency backed by minerals? Africa is gambling on its energy transition

The continent must use energy minerals for its development rather than feeding them to industrialised countries

Urban drought: The persistent water shortages in Johannesburg, often making it necessary for residents to collect water from tankers for daily use. (Louw/Volksblad/Gallo Images/Getty Images)

Attain sustainable development goals through the water-energy-food nexus

Water, energy and food are central to sustainable development, socio-ecological and economic sustainability, healthy ecosystems and improved livelihoods. The three resources are…

The mining industry has the potential to grow if there is more investment in exploration projects. (Michele Spatari/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Mining has life, in spite of hitches

The industry has the potential to grow if there is more investment in exploration projects

The reality is that we simply cannot meet the African continent’s unique energy problems and opportunities without accelerating grid transformation. Photo: Salam Habash / Unsplash

New Electricity Regulation Amendment Act welcome but potential hurdles remain

The new Act heralds a bold move away from Eskom’s monopoly but there is potential for challenge

Expressing anger on social media is merely performative outrage and does not result in action to prevent such abuse

Women and youth are the overlooked drivers of Africa’s energy transition

The transition to renewable energy in Africa presents an opportunity to promote gender equality and empower the youth

The World Bank Group, in partnership with the African Development Bank  (AfDB) and other collaborators, recently launched Mission 300, which aims to connect 300 million people to electricity in sub-Saharan Africa by 2030. (Supplied)

World Bank’s Mission 300 to invest in electricity in Africa

But the financing models, which blend loans with private investments, could deepen African countries’ debt crisis

The G20 is a forum of the largest economies in the world who meet regularly to discuss the most pressing issues facing the global economy. (Photo: Brenton Geach/Gallo Images/Getty Image)

South Africa’s G20 presidency an opportunity to reshape the global energy narrative

A strong presidency would establish mechanisms for accountability, ensuring that promises made during G20 summits translate into measurable progress

(The Times/Esa Alexander)

Dismantle green colonialism and stop the greed of corporates and Northern governments

The fight for climate justice must include the people who are most affected, including those in the Arab region