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Enlit Africa 2026 keynote: Energy security by design

Starting his Enlit Africa 2026 welcome address congratulating Eskom on achieving more than 365 days of no loadshedding drew warm applause for Thabo Kekana, acting Director General for the Department of Electricity and Energy in Cape Town on day one of the conference.

Still, he was quick to point out that the next challenge for electricity utility Eskom is to decisively address load reduction and thus maintain electricity access.

Kekana was at pains to point that energy justice must not be separated from development. While decarbonisation, decentralisation and digitalisation are the practical levers for expanding energy access and accelerating development, the importance of unlocking investment and procurement at scale and speed cannot be overlooked. “In the energy context, neutrality is the face of energy poverty,” he said.

South Africa and energy security

“South Africa now has some breathing space, we must convert it to lasting energy security through new capacity, grid expand, energy storage and affordable supply,” said Kekana. And, as he pointed out, “energy security is not accidental, it is designed.”

“It is not designed once, but every day through the hard work of execution.”

Kekana explained South Africa’s national priorities as:

• Generation: South Africa must add new capacity at speed and scale;
• Transmission is national economic infrastructure, not a technical output. Energy security must guide sequencing of transmission buildout;
• Distribution reform is now central to the country’s energy security because as Kekana put it: “A stable system means little if the community is dark.”

To the last point, Kekana said the DEE is working on a new electricity pricing policy which should become available for public comment soon as well as reviewing the Free Basic Electricity subsidy to become “more targeted and more consistently implemented”.

He pointed out that while the global energy conversation is quite often framed around decarbonisation, decentralisation and digitalisation for Africa these are not abstract ideas but ”practical levers for access and development” but at the same time energy justice and climate action cannot be separated from development.

Kekana was adamant that a just energy transition cannot leave Africa exporting raw materials while importing finished products. ”Energy justice is not a slogan, it is a developmental doctrine, it is about agency… about the sovereign right to choose our path and finance it fairly.”