Keeping the lights on

Learnings and insights about renewable energy are helping the KwaDukuza Local Municipality to implement renewable energy policies and plans.

Public and private sector participants at the Vuthela iLembe LED Support Programme’s Synergy for Energy seminars have pledged to continue engaging around how the KwaDukuza Local Municipality will address the ongoing electricity crisis.

Senior officials from KwaDukuza Local Municipality joined representatives of South African Local Government Association (SALGA), other municipalities and the private sector to discuss how electricity will be generated and distributed within the district at the series of seminars hosted by Vuthela.

The need for effective partnerships and collaboration between the private and public sector to address the impacts of the national electricity crisis emerged as a central theme at both seminars. 

Future continuation

The Vuthela Programme comes to an end at the end of December 2023 although a number of energy and water loss implementation projects will proceed for another year until 31 December 2024. Seminar participants – who say they have derived great value from the seminars – have decided to continue interacting after the funded programme ends. Enterprise iLembe CEO Linda Mncube said the seminars provided the engagement platform needed for effective collaboration and should be continued. 

A high level of coordination between municipal and national structures will also be required to manage the rapidly evolving national policy framework and changing local regulations that will determine how the policy is put into practice in the future.