Over 10 million households across South Africa live in what is described as energy poverty, meaning these households lack safe, stable and affordable access to or provision of electricity. While Eskom struggles to keep the lights on, millions of people are constantly being forced to choose between buying food or purchasing electricity units. Without safe, stable and affordable access to or provision of electricity, children in low-income households have worse educational prospects, women carry a heavier burden of social reproduction and households reliant on alternative fuel sources (e.g. wood or paraffin) endanger their health while illegal connections expose poor communities to the lethal danger of uncontrolled fires.
This report provides fresh data and analysis on the extent, character and structural causes of energy poverty. This is achieved through examining survey findings in eight sites conducted in communities across the city of eMalahleni. Through survey findings and participatory action research, the report unveils a contradiction: widespread energy poverty in a region that is at the heart of South Africa’s electricity production. This contradiction is explained by the government’s decades-long commitment to neoliberal policy exemplified by municipal financing frameworks, the pursuit of full-cost recovery and insufficient investment in electrification and electricity generation due to Eskom’s corporatisation.
Beyond critique, the report offers policy proposals that chart an alternative pathway towards achieving universal electricity provision through rebuilding state capacity and utilising progressive, sustainable and strategic public investment in order to meet the needs of all South Africans. We hope you find this report informative and valuable. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions or for further information. Read the full report below.
