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Unlocking sustainable and inclusive growth in South Africa: Advancing the electricity reform agenda

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: South Africa continues to face deep structural bottlenecks to growth, including weaknesses in the business environment, limited workers’ employability and access to jobs, and persistent inefficiencies in key network industries such as transport, water, and electricity. These challenges are underscored in the 2025 Economic Survey of South Africa, released in June 2025. Although notable progress has been made under Operation Vulindlela, significant obstacles remain, including within the electricity sector (OECD, 2025). Electricity is a foundational input for economic activity, central to firms’ production decisions and to the functioning of the broader economy. This note examines how restoring energy security, accelerating renewable deployment, and reforming municipal and pricing structures can stimulate growth and support a just and sustainable green transition.

Source: ERSA Working Paper Series

DOI: 10.71587/jgedq919

Authors: Inglesi-Lotz, Roula, Demmou, Lilas

Institutions: University of Pretoria, Organisation de Coopération et de Développement Economiques

Language: English

Topic: Renewable energy and sustainable power systems

Subfield: Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment

Field: Energy

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Industry, innovation and infrastructure, Decent work and economic growth, Affordable and clean energy

Open Access status: green

OpenAlex ID: W7106788366

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