President Ramaphosa Urges Municipalities to Lead SA’s Just Energy Transition

The President also emphasized that the drive towards a lower carbon economy is a collective responsibility that extends beyond the government.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has emphasized the crucial role of municipalities in South Africa's shift towards clean energy, highlighting their central position in the government's efforts to meet global climate change commitments. Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Municipal Just Energy Transition (JET) Conference in Johannesburg, the President underscored the importance of municipal leadership in driving this transformation.

“South Africa’s 257 metropolitan, district, and local municipalities own and operate approximately half of the country’s electricity distribution grid and are instrumental in ensuring universal access to electricity,” President Ramaphosa stated. He noted that 165 municipalities serve as electricity providers, responsible for addressing electrification backlogs through the Integrated National Electrification Programme grant.

Given their critical role, President Ramaphosa stressed that municipalities must take the lead in delivering clean, affordable energy to communities, businesses, and industries. To support this, the South African Cabinet has approved the JET Investment Plan, which includes a dedicated roadmap for municipalities focused on three key areas:

Providing Access to Affordable Clean Electricity: The recent promulgation of the Electricity Regulation Amendment aims to create a competitive electricity market that accelerates decarbonization while ensuring that energy costs do not contribute to energy poverty or deepen inequality.

Sustainable Financing for Electricity Infrastructure: The President highlighted the need for massive investment in upgrading, modernizing, and extending municipal grid systems. This includes integrating smart metering to accommodate renewable energy and facilitating small-scale embedded generation. Both public and private capital will be essential for these upgrades.

Strengthening Municipal Capacity: President Ramaphosa called for extensive training and upskilling of municipal officials to manage the energy transition effectively. New systems will be required to identify and address human resource, technical capacity, and other needs, ensuring that municipalities can design and implement programs and projects effectively.

The President also emphasized that the drive towards a lower carbon economy is a collective responsibility that extends beyond the government. He stressed that a just energy transition should promote economic diversification, transformation, and industrialization in the renewable energy sector, empowering workers, marginalized communities, and black businesses.

Achieving the desired outcomes at the municipal level will require supportive policies, strong leadership, good governance, and coordinated efforts among all relevant institutions. President Ramaphosa urged collaboration between government, business, labor, and civil society to secure a sustainable and equitable energy future for all South Africans.