The Gendered Energy Crisis: Prospects for an eco-feminist Just Energy Transition in South Africa

Overview

This report is focused on identifying the ongoing challenges at Eskom, the South African power utility, thus shedding light on democratic processes and human rights considerations. It adopts a feminist lens in its analysis of the electricity crisis, exploring potential feminist approaches to restructuring the existing electricity grid infrastructure. This includes analyzing the integration of the key principles of a Just Transition, as well as an assessment of the role that key stakeholders can play in fostering improvements through a renewed social compacting process that encompasses pro-development, equitable and inclusive plans for plant decommissioning, the protection of worker’s rights, and strategies for up-skilling and reskilling. Additionally, the report delves into Eskom's skill development needs, addressing prevalent talent, cultural, and skill-related issues in a more substantive manner. It also includes a comprehensive analysis of electricity demand and supply forecasting and identifying key factors for achieving a sustainable vision for Eskom. It assesses Eskom’s financial situation, its assets, and operational functionality.

The report highlights financial and operational inefficiencies at the utility which have caused an ongoing energy crisis in South Africa's energy sector in recent years. This has resulted in rolling blackouts and power cuts, which have had a negative impact on economic growth. Contributing factors to this crisis at the utility include the lack of ethical leadership and escalating levels of corruption, combined with limited maintenance capabilities and decreased reliability of the power supply. Furthermore, policy uncertainty on realizing a feminist, just and socially inclusive energy transition continues to hamstring decisive action on the part of decision makers because of evident competing interests between the Mineral Resources and Energy and Environment Ministries. Finally the report notes the sectors lack of gender-responsive planning and budgeting frameworks and the negative impacts of coal extraction on local livelihoods.

The report includes proposals for a variety of different roles civil society can play in advancing progress on these challenges.