- On Monday, 18 September, civil society organisations and local communities in Gauteng Province will march as part of the global Draw the Line mobilisations, demanding real solutions to the energy and climate crisis.
- This comes as South Africans face sharp electricity price increases amidst a dire cost-of-living crisis that is pushing many working-class and poor households to the brink.
- According to the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research(CSIR), electricity tariffs have surged by approximately 237% over the past decade, far outpacing inflation.
As disasters worsen from climate change, the window for a just transition away from coal and gas to renewable energy is closing rapidly. Studies show solar and wind power in South Africa are about 40% cheaper than new coal-fired power, presenting us with a cleaner, more affordable electricity future.
The mobilisation will call out rampant government corruption, national austerity, and corporate control, which remain the bottlenecks in South Africa’s just transition. Communities are demanding clean, affordable, accessible, community-owned energy. Since 2020, municipalities have been allowed to develop or buy their own renewable power, but this must be guided by local Integrated Development Plans (IDPs), which are meant to reflect people’s needs. If municipalities follow their IDPs correctly, they should be investing in renewable energy that brings reliable and affordable power to communities, not pouring billions into systems that only benefit a few.
Communities demand that local governments include Socially Owned Renewable Energy (SORE), skills training, and decent green jobs explicitly in their Integrated Development Plans (IDPs). The Joint Letter, which underscores these demands, can be accessed here.
Author: Bryan Groenendaal
