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Collective Conversations #6: Powering the transition – rethinking South Africa’s energy future
03 September 2026 | Video Production Team: Ruairi Abrahams and Nomfundo Xolo Photo: Lerato MadunaOn 25 August 2026, the University of Cape Town (UCT) hosted the sixth instalment of the Collective Conversations: Science for Society series under the theme “South Africa’s Energy Transition: After the Crisis”. The conversation examined how the country’s energy transition is progressing following the electricity supply crisis, and whether sufficient momentum has been created to move South Africa towards a low-carbon energy future.
Facilitated by Africa Melane of CapeTalk, the discussion featured Prof Harro von Blottnitz from UCT’s Energy Systems Research Group, Alwie Lester from the Western Cape Provincial Government, Dr Joel Nana from Sustainable Energy Africa, and Dan Ginsberg from Discovery Green. Together, they explored the scale and complexity of South Africa’s energy system, the country’s continued dependence on fossil fuels, and the technological, economic and policy changes required to accelerate the transition to cleaner sources of energy.
The discussion placed South Africa’s energy transition within the broader goals of the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 7 on affordable and clean energy and SDG 13 on climate action. The event highlighted the urgency of reducing emissions from the energy sector while ensuring that the transition is affordable, inclusive and just.
At the heart of the conversation was a question extending beyond technology: can South Africa build the policy, planning and institutional capacity needed to ensure that its energy transition is not only faster, but also fair?
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