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Thabo Mothibi, Managing Editor, thabo@ncnn.live
De Aar – The Northern Cape is set to lead the charge in bolstering transformation aimed at black ownership and enhanced community participation within South Africa’s renewable energy sector. The province’s two-day Renewable Energy Conference and Exhibition which ended in De Aar today, endorsed the formulation of a Renewable Energy Charter and a Support Scheme for communities focused on strengthening transformation.
Department of Economic Development’s Renewable Energy Unit is also to be restructured and capacitated in gearing itself towards acting in the interests of local communities.
The current policy framework which drew South Africa’s R200 billion in foreign direct investment through 112 Independent Power Producer projects has been severely criticised by conference for being preoccupied with community trusts and corporate social investment that are like “hand-outs” and a lack of broad-based black economic empowerment.
“Provincially, there has been a number of IPPs projects being successfully completed without any visible change in the communities they are deployed at. This trend looks set to continue unchallenged whilst government face uprisings and the wrath from unhappy communities,” lamented Social Development MEC Gift van Staden in a speech read out on behalf of Economic Development MEC Mac Jack.
“What is increasingly clear is that as the next round approaches (fifth bid-window), we need to source critical technical and financial capacities that are key if we want the province to eke maximum value out of the abundant wind and solar resources in the province,” said an outspoken Allister Davids of the Tsantsabane Black Business Chamber.
Janice Finlay a representative of the multi-national renewable energy company Solar Capital which owns the largest solar park in the Southern Hemisphere and based in De Aar, was challenged from the floor by Davids on her assertion of the Northern Cape having no local individuals that are able to raise own funding in securing an equity stake.
Davids riposted with; “we are here, we have the portfolio.” As Finlay descended from her panel member seat, the two left plenary to pursue what was likely to be a cordial interaction.
Earlier, the Chief Executive Officer of the South African Wind Energy Association (SAWEA) Brenda Martin told conference that the wind energy sector has established manufacturing plants through public-private-partnerships with the Industrial Development Corporation, Department of Trade and Industry and Science and Technology in renewable energy zones of the Western and Eastern Cape provinces and looking forward to replicating it in the Northern Cape.
By Thabo Mothibi
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Thabo Mothibi is a former broadcast journalist (TV and Radio) – with specialist reporting experience; SABC Political/Parliamentary and TRC Teams over a period of five years (1995 to 2000).
One key foreign assignment - is the 11-nation African Connection Rally – overland journey from Africa’s northern-most pole in the coastal Tunisian city of Bizerte to the southern-most pole in South Africa’s Cape Agulhas. From the journalistic years, Thabo then delved into Government media liaison and serving two former Ministers and three MECs. He became the Northern Cape Provincial Government’s first department based Communications Director at Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development - 2008-2010 – where he also served as Head of Ministry from 2003 – 2008.
As a former anti-apartheid activist, his political background and professional training aided him in spearheading the Northern Cape ANC’s 2004 National Elections media and publicity campaign and that of the 2006 Local Government Elections.
Whilst based in Waterkloof in Pretoria -2010 to end 2011, he consulted for Manstrat Agricultural Intelligence, then returned to the Northern Cape in 2012 to date, to consult independently and pursue other entrepreneurial interests in media and communications through KwaVuko Communications and Marketing.
Thabo Mothibi obtained his NQF7 through Wits University’s Graduate School of Public and Development Management (P&DM) in Johannesburg, a Unilever Mandela Rhodes Academy for Marketing and Communications Academy (UMRA). The goal of the NQF7 programme was to educate and train public and private sector professional communicators and marketers in government communications..
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