Event Details
South African Civil Society Energy Caucus Meeting Townhouse Hotel
60 Corporation Street, Cape Town 29 – 30 July 2009
THEME: The new nexus of power and accountability in South African energy
The incoming government’s announcement of the decoupling of minerals & energy represents a symbolic shift away from a troubling legacy in South Africa. Civil society has long called for splitting the incongruous pair into departments with their own clear and distinct mandates. The new standalone Department of Energy now has the potential to break some of the steep tensions brought on by a period of capitalist accumulation. But systematic redress is required for this to be realised. A priority for the department is defining its role and mapping out its strategy on universal access to clean, affordable energy. Concurrently the Department will need to outline its strategy on a just transition away from fossil fuels to a no‐carbon future that will also create new green jobs. They will also need to deal with a host of other governance and institutional issues, including most prominently resolving its murky relationship with state electricity utility, Eskom. In particular, how will the Department monitor reforms in the Department of Public Enterprises around the better behaviour and governance of Eskom? In addition, how does government plan to manage tensions between itself, Eskom and Nersa and to negotiate conflicts of interest which prevent the national regulator from carrying out its key tasks. How will they put an end to the conflation between electricity and energy that we seem intransigent with. To address all of these requirements will mean a deeper engagement with citizens, listening to their needs, being open & transparent, including them on all manners of decision‐making processes and fostering accountability. It may also mean inspiring a more serious conversation with other government departments. Clearly tough choices must be made as the ramifications go well beyond the Department of Energy to fundamentally reorganising power relations in our country as well as confronting the premise and trajectory of our current development model.
This two‐day meeting of the South African Civil Society Energy Caucus will explore the country’s willingness and ability to deal with fierce governance challenges ahead which aim to create benchmarks for a sustainable, socially just future.
