The RSA’s Opposition Parties’ Approaches to Solving the Energy Crisis: a Viable Alternative to the ANC? – JOURNAL OF THE INSTITUTE FOR AFRICAN STUDIES

Author:

Nesterova E.S.

Abstract:

The energy crisis in South Africa became a byword within the South African society, having transformed into a critical factor in the political infighting. The shortage of generating capacity, the lack of qualified personnel, the widespread corruption and other challenges have significantly undermined the energy sector. It has contributed to the mood of protest in the population. These protest sentiments among the public resulted in their voting for opposition parties promising to find a way out of the energy crisis by a range of the South African citizens. The paper considers the ideas of the most popular South African opposition parties in the context of the resolution of the long-standing energy crisis. One of the main materials for analysing the parties’ approaches to resolving the energy crisis was their 2024 manifestos. Since it was the parties’ pre-election views on the energy crisis that were examined, all of them are called in this text as “opposition” regardless of whether they joined the Government of National Unity/GNU after the elections.

The views of the South African opposition parties, including those, which entered into the Government of National Unity (GNU) following the 2024 elections, on the pathways out of the energy crisis are often utopian and radical. Thus, they can potentially lead to unpredictable consequences. In particular, the privatisation of the energy sector advocated by some parties poses the risk of the nuclear power plant, controlled by the state-owned company Eskom, being transferred to private companies. It, in turn, implicates the loss of the state control over a highly sensitive economic sector that requires significant, unprofitable investments in the safe storage and disposal of radioactive wastes. The opposition’s emphasis on renewable energy sources is detrimental due to its underestimation of the domestic fossil fuels’ use; it is fraught with overexpenditure, inefficient redistribution, as well as lack of attention to the detrimental effect of certain types of green energy on both the environment and human health.

Keywords:

energy crisis, South Africa, green agenda, coal-fired power generation, nuclear energy, political parties, opposition

DOI:

10.31132/2412-5717-2025-73-4-138-155

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For citation:

Nesterova E.S. (2025). The RSA’s Opposition Parties’ Approaches to Solving the Energy Crisis: A Viable Alternative to the ANC? Journal of the Institute for African Studies. Vol. 11. № 4. Pp. 138–155. https://doi.org/10.31132/2412-5717-2025-73-4-138-155

Для цитирования:

Нестерова Е.С. Подходы оппозиционных партий к разрешению энергетического кризиса в ЮАР: альтернатива АНК? Ученые записки Института Африки РАН. 2025. Т. 11. № 4. С. 138–155. https://doi.org/10.31132/2412-5717-2025-73-4-138-155

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