Addressing South Africa’s burgeoning energy challenge must be viewed from a socioeconomic lens to ensure skills development and upskilling citizens contribute to the pressing societal hurdles, said Mpho Mookapele, the CEO of the Energy and Water Sector Education and Training Authority (EWSETA).

“The country would miss out on a significant opportunity to solve its challenges of poverty, unemployment, and inequality unless the energy transition is considered from a socioeconomic development perspective,” she warned.

As a key sponsor and panellist of the webinar hosted by Creamer Media on 21 June 2023, Mookapele stressed the need for greater and closer collaboration between industry and the EWSETA to ensure that data related to skills demand in the country is accurate and credible, which in turn will lead to better sector skills planning and impactful skills delivery that drives socio-economic inclusion.

The discussion was held given the country’s energy challenges to provide South Africans with tangible solutions to tackle load-shedding. It brought key speakers with the requisite expertise to provide insight on handling the challenges while adequate solutions are being investigated.

The panel included specialist tax consultancy EY Cova partner and facilitator, Tumelo Chipfupa, who supported Mookapele’s view that to get the energy sector working, the country needs to “jack up” its skills to the required levels.

Chipfupa concurs that collaboration will be vital to resolving the skills shortage challenge, a point elaborated on by Mookapele in referencing partnerships with, among others, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and several global partners.

The South African Wind Energy Association (SAWEA) senior technical adviser, Santosh Sookgrim also recognises that the critical challenge across the wind and solar photovoltaic (PV) sectors is the shortage of skills, followed closely by grid capacity constraints.

Besides the lack of skills in the renewable energy industry, Sookgrim notes that basic knowledge about renewable energy and its benefits was absent, particularly in rural parts of the country – which ironically can benefit most from renewable energy.

The skills shortage in the renewable energy sector is particularly prevalent in the solar industry, according to South African Photovoltaic Industry Association (SAPVIA) CEO Dr Rethabile Melamu.

To this end, the association has developed a PV Greencard programme to upskill electricians with the basic skills required for energy installations so they can operate in both the alternate current and direct current side of PV installations.

Dr Rethabile Melamu noted it was important that young people with some of the core electrical qualifications have access to opportunities and are enabled to operate within the rapidly growing renewable energy sector.

Electricity trading business, Enpower Trading, CEO James Beatty adds that if South Africa develops more of its renewable energy skills capacity, it would be easier to create templates for wheeling agreements and harmonised tariff structures, which were both crucial to energy trading.

He explains that if more municipalities were to implement system agreements with the private sector, then skills and education for understanding energy trading would be vital.

Mookapele emphasises the significant value of integrating TVET colleges and marginalised communities, including colleges, into the mainstream to ensure their active inclusion in economic participation.

Next month, South Africans will get a chance to make input on skills development when the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE), industry players and the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition issue the draft South African Renewable Energy Master Plan for public comment.

Mookapele urges all South Africans to raise their voices and seize the opportunities in the sector as a powerful means to tackle poverty, unemployment, and inequality. Together, let's act and create a better future for all.

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For further information, please contact Candice Moodley on email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Prepared for EWSETA by:
At Vogue Communication
Marilyn Watson
email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

About EWSETA
EWSETA is a skills development authority serving the energy and water sectors. It is one of 21 Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs) established in South Africa in terms of the Skills Development Act of 1998 – amended. It plays a crucial function in ensuring that the National Skills and Development Strategy is executed within the energy and water sectors.

The main areas of focus of the EWSETA are energy, renewable energy, gas and water services sector, as determined by the Honourable Minister of Higher Education and Training in terms of section 9(2) of the SDA, read in conjunction with Government Gazette No 33756, RG 9417, No. R1055 of 11 November 2010.

https://ewseta.org.za/