
AIDC statement on the Electricity Regulation Amendment Bill: Let’s keep our energy affordable!
On Friday 13 October, the Alternative Information & Development Centre (AIDC) made a submission on the Electricity Regulation Amendment Bill advocating for the halting of the independent transmission company setup process. Last month, the Portfolio Committee on Mineral Resources and…

POWERLESS OP-ED (PART 2): We can’t just wave goodbye to Eskom – we need to fix it, and it’s possible
By Dominic Brown | Daily Maverick | 08 Feb 2023 Although many South Africans yearn to dump the state-owned power utility, fixing and maintaining Eskom’s power stations to boost energy availability is the quickest way to stabilise supply in the short to medium…

BEYOND THE COP27 OP-ED | Climate crisis – practical action begins with better understanding of planetary reality
By Jeff Rudin | Daily Maverick | 09 Jan 2023 Documents that were kept under wraps for 50 years give us insights that help explain why efforts to agree on climate change interventions have failed so far. The scale of the…

Taking Back the Just Transition for Climate Protection and Decent Work!
The AIDC, with the support of FES, is inviting you to debate the energy transition in South Africa. This discussion amongst trade unionists, social and environmental justice activists is urgent in light of the crisis of energy and climate policy. There are growing differences…

United Front to Address Loadshedding
Towards a Public Pathway Approach to Energy Transition On Wednesday, July 27th, 2022, representatives of unions and social movements met in Johannesburg to discuss the country’s energy crisis. The representatives agreed to form a united front to resist privatisation of…

How Climate Jobs Can Offer Decent Work to South Africans
Related posts: Drought and floods: Take an umbrella if it’s going to rain AoU/Cry of the Xcluded to host a two-day People’s Summit! TUED Global Forum: February 25, 2022, 8:00-9:30am ET OPINION | Climate change: We are wedded to our…

AIDC Comments on Electricity Regulation Amendment Bill
The AIDC, together with Trade Unions for Energy Democracy (TUED), the Transnational Institute (TNI), the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), and the National Union of Metalworkers South Africa (NUMSA), has conducted research on energy policy and the ongoing reforms to…

TUED Global Forum: February 25, 2022, 8:00-9:30am ET
Register here. At COP26 in Glasgow, the EU, the US and the UK announced it was going to “mobilize” $8.5 billion to accelerate South Africa’s transition away from coal in order to protect the climate. A month later the IMF “advised”…

AIDC is hiring!
Climate Change and Energy Advocacy Officer Deputy Director Economic and Budget justice Advocacy Officer Media and Communications Officer About us AIDC was formed in 1996 in response to the democratic transition in South Africa and the new opportunities and challenges…

On unbundling: Don’t privatise the energy transition
On unbundling: Don’t privatise the energy transition Alternative Information and Development Centre |DailyMaverick| 19 August 2021 There are few entities in South Africa that are as loathed as Eskom – and for good reason. Load shedding is clearly public enemy number one,…

Power struggle: The 100MW exemption is likely to be a monumental step towards privatisation — not necessarily for the good
Power struggle: The 100MW exemption is likely to be a monumental step towards privatisation — not necessarily for the good Bruce Baigrie | Daily Maverick | July 5, 2021 President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement that private embedded generators may produce up…

Perils of deregulating energy: Texas blackouts a snapshot of the fraught future of an unbundled Eskom
Perils of deregulating energy: Texas blackouts a snapshot of the fraught future of an unbundled Eskom Jonathan Cannard | DailyMaverick | 26 May, 2021 The so-called developing world – including South Africa – has the advantage of learning from the many…

Mail and Guardian, electric cars are not a panacea
Mail and Guardian, electric cars are not a panacea Jeff Rudin | Mail and Guardian | 03 May, 2021 Life would be simple if the only problem with cars was their petrol engines. Alas, although the transition from fossil fuels…

A BRIEF HISTORY OF ESKOM – 1923-2015
A BRIEF HISTORY OF ESKOM – 1923-2015 Sandra Van Niekerk | Why Eskom Is In a Mess and What to Do About It This article is a brief excerpt of “A BRIEF HISTORY OF ESKOM – 1923-2015” by Sandra van…

Why Eskom Is In A Mess and What To Do About It
Why Eskom Is In A Mess and What To Do About It No matter who you are, no South African can avoid coming face to face with the crisis at Eskom. Load shedding puts a stop to daily life, closes…

Financing a Socially-Owned Transformed Eskom
Financing a Socially-Owned Transformed Eskom Eskom Research Reference Group | Eskom Transformed | 22 September 2020 In the last few summaries, we outlined a few of the biggest issues with the plan for an unbundled Eskom and a for-profit electricity…

Why Should We Oppose Unbundling?: The Death of Eskom? (Part Two)
Why Should We Oppose Unbundling?: The Death of Eskom?(Part Two) Eskom Research Reference Group | Eskom Transformed | 22 September 2020 In the last summary, we went into some detail about why there is such a big push to unbundle…

Why Should We Oppose Unbundling? (Part 1)
Why Should We Oppose Unbundling? (Part 1) Eskom Research Reference Group | Eskom Transformed | 13 August 2020 One of the most debated parts of the government’s plan for Eskom is the issue of unbundling. Simply put, this means that…

What is the ‘Just Transition?’
What is the ‘Just Transition?’ Eskom Research Reference Group|Eskom Transformed Explainer | 17 July, 2020 The term “Just Transition” has become increasingly common in discussions of a plan to tackle climate change. It is imperative that the world move towards…

Eskom Transformed: Can Private Power Avert the Climate Crisis?
Eskom Transformed: Can Private Power Avert the Climate Crisis? Eskom Research Reference Group | Eskom Transformed Explainers|10 July, 2020 The necessity of transitioning to renewable sources of energy, away from fossil fuels, has become abundantly clear. The climate crisis threatens…

The Impediments Trade Agreements Pose to a South African Renewable Energy Industry
The Impediments Trade Agreements Pose to a South African Renewable Energy Industry Jonathan Cannard | Alternative Information and Development Centre | 26 June, 2020 This is a brief excerpt from a research paper titled “The Impediments Trade Agreements Pose to…

Announcing “Eskom Transformed”: The Case for a Big Eskom in the Age of Austerity
Announcing “Eskom Transformed”: The Case for a Big Eskom in the Age of Austerity Eskom Research Reference Group | Amandla Online | 24 June, 2020 For most of the Ramaphosa presidency, the struggle over the future of the nation’s economy…

Pandemic gives us a last chance to avert climate – and social – catastrophe
Pandemic gives us a last chance to avert climate – and social – catastrophe Bruce Baigrie | Mail and Guardian |16 Apr 2020 Just a few months ago headlines began to emerge of a novel coronavirus rapidly infecting people in…

Their Just Transition and ours
Their Just Transition and ours by Zwelinzima Vavi | Amandla! Issue No. 66 | October 2019 This is a slightly edited version of an input on the Just Transition to the School of Labour and Urban Studies, City University of…