A research report submitted to the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment at the University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Architecture (Sustainable Energy Efficient Cities) / Whereas the escalation of energy costs in South Africa over the past 5-years has been systematically reported, the extent to which low-income urban households are coping with the escalation has not been studied. Based on ethnographic data from Etwatwa in Ekurhuleni and secondary data from the Department of Energy and Statistics South Africa, the study evaluates the extent to which ongoing energy poverty mitigation programmes under FBE (Free Basic Electricity) and FBAE (Free Basic Alternative Energy) are facilitating how such households cope with the escalating costs. One of the key findings of the study is that FBE is not only inadequate for beneficiary household needs but also fails to accommodate large family sizes whose consumption goes beyond the set threshold of 450kWh/month. Since FBAE is only available for households not yet connected to the grid, the programme would not serve as a complementary intervention for households not benefiting from FBE due to consumption beyond the threshold. Based on the key finding of inadequacy of existing mitigation interventions (declining affordability of electricity, unresponsiveness of FBE to large-family size and the barrier to accessing FBAE while connected to grid) the study finds that energy poverty among low-income households and communities is deepening. As coping strategies, households resort to switching to alternative combustible fuels like paraffin, wood, coal, and solid waste which leads to indoor and outdoor air-pollution with related respiratory illnesses and under severe situations they resort to suppressing demand through options such foregoing cooked meals, irregular bathing/cleaning and space-heating in winter. The findings also allowed the study to critique the energy ladder model on its assumptions on linear energy carrier transitions in line with improved incomes of low-income households. In particular, the study finds that even as incomes of affected households improve, an ever increasing share of the income goes towards covering the escalating energy costs but still never managing to close the affordability gap for clean energy thus reinforcing a vicious cascade in energy poverty In order to systematically mitigate these escalating patterns of energy poverty, the study recommends the distribution of renewable technology through a more innovative FBAE policy which would allow municipalities, national government and other stakeholders to commit to more equitable long-term investments in energy efficiency and renewable energy interventions for such households. Key words: escalating energy costs, coping mechanism, energy poverty, Free Basic Electricity, Free Basic Alternative Energy

Text in English with abstracts in English, Sepedi and Venda / Access to firewood and other affordable energy sources is essential to the livelihoods of rural households in developing countries. Studies have been conducted to understand the reasons behind an extensive reliance on firewood in rural areas, especially in developing countries, despite improved electrification rates and a number of government policies introduced to encourage rural households to switch from traditional to modern fuels. This study aimed at assessing and thus understand the factors influencing the use of firewood by households in Ga - Malahlela village in Limpopo Province. Limited research has been conducted on firewood use, subsequent to improved electrification in rural areas in South Africa, hence it was to shed light on this little-explored subject on which the study was carried out. The assessment was based on household demographics and household energy use patterns, with a structured questionnaire being utilised to arrive at a detailed understanding of the factors that drive firewood use. It was established that firewood was still used to a significant degree, to satisfy household energy needs such as cooking, water heating and space heating. This was mainly due to the socioeconomic status of households. Socio-economic factors such as income, education level, household size and preference were found to be the factors exerting the greatest influence on the use of firewood among households in the study area. Psychological variables and the geographical location of the study area were also shown to promote the use of firewood. The study further revealed that, as indicated in the reviewed literature, households in the study area fuel stack and do not ascend the energy ladder. The reviewed literature further indicated that not all factors have equivalent significance in determining the behaviour and pattern of household energy use. This indicates that energy sources such as firewood are not completely discarded but are instead used in conjunction with modern energy sources such as electricity. In conclusion, this study established that despite the availability of electricity, as a result of poverty and the lack of free basic services such as free basic electricity, reliance on firewood in rural areas will continue. / Go hwetša dikgong le methopo ye mengwe ya dibešwa tšeo di rekegago go bohlokwa go mekgwa ya malapa a dinagamagaeng go hwetša dilo tše bohlokwa tša bophelo dinageng tšeo di hlabologago. Dithutelo di phethagaditšwe go kwešiša mabaka ao a thekgago kholofelo go dikgong mafelong a dinagamagaeng a dinaga tšeo di hlabologago le ge go na le ditekanyo tše di kaonafaditšwego tša tlhagišo ya mohlagase le palo ya melaotshepetšo ya mmušo yeo e tsebišitšwego go tutuetša malapa a dinagamagaeng go fetoga go tloga go dibešwa tša sekgale go iša go tša sebjale. Thutelo ye e ikemišeditše go lekola ka gona go kwešiša mabaka ao a huetšago malapa a Motsaneng wa Ga-Malahlela ka Profenseng ya Limpopo go diriša ya dikgong. Dinyakišišo tše lekantšwego di phethagaditšwe ka ga tirišo ya dikgong ka morago ga tlhagišo ya mohlagase yeo e kaonafaditšwego mafelong a dinagamagaeng ka Afrika Borwa, gomme e be e swanetše go fa tshedimošo ka ga hlogotaba yeo e hlohlomišitšwego gannyane gore thutelo ye e phethagatšwe. Tekolo ye e theilwe go dipalopalo ka ga malapa setšhabeng le mekgwa ya malapa ya go dirišwa dibešwa, ka go diriša lenaneopotšišo leo le beakantšwego gore go fihlelelwe kwešišo ye e hlalošago ka botlalo mabaka ao a hlohleletšago tirišo ya dikgong. Go lemogilwe gore dikgong di sa dirišwa ka bontši bjo bo bonagalago go kgotsofatša dinyakwa tša malapa tša enetši tše bjalo ka go apea, go ruthetša meetse le go ruthetša lefelo. Se se be se swanela gagolo ka lebaka la boemo bja ka moo ekonomi e amago tšwelopele ya malapa. Mabaka a ka moo ekonomi e amago tšwelopele ya setšhaba a go swana le ditseno, boemo bja thuto, bogolo bja lelapa le tšeo di ratwago go hweditšwe go ba mabaka ao a hlohleletšago khuetšo ye kgolokgolo go tirišo ya dikgong gare ga malapa thutelong ye. Dielemente tšeo di ka fetolwago le lefelo tikologong ye e itšeng tša thutelo le tšona di bontšhitšwe go godiša tirišo ya dikgong. Thutelo ye gape e utollotše gore, bjalo k age go šupilwe dingwalong tšeo di lekotšwego, malapa a lefelong la thutelo a latela mekgwa ya dibešwa tša mehutahuta gomme ga a latele manamelo a enetši. Dingwalo tšeo di lekotšwego di laeditše go ya pele gore ga se mabaka ka moka ao a nago le bohlokwa bjo bo lekanago go šupeng boitshwaro le mokgwa tša tirišo ya enetši ka malapeng. Se se šupa gore methopo ya enetši ye bjalo ka dikgong ga se ya tlogelwa ka gohlegohle eupša e dirišwa mmogo le methopo ya sebjale ya enetši ye bjalo ka mohlagase. Go ruma, thutelo ye e utollotše gore le ge go na le mohlagase, ka lebaka la bohloki le tlhaelo ya ditirelo tša motheo tša mahala tše bjalo ka mohlagase wa motheo wa mahala, kholofelo go dikgong dinagamagaeng e tlo tšwela pele. / U swikelela khuni na zwiṅwe zwiko zwa fulufulu zwine zwa swikelelea ndi zwa ndeme kha u tsireledza zwo teaho zwa vhutshilo kha miṱa ya vhupo ha mahayani kha mashango o no khou bvelelaho. Ngudo dzo farwa u itela u pfesesa zwiitisi zwa u ḓitika zwihulwane nga khuni kha vhupo ha mahayani kha mashango ane a khou ḓi bvelela zwi si na ndavha na u khwiniswa ha u dzheniswa ha muḓagasi na tshivhalo tsha mbekanyamaitele dza muvhuso dzo ḓivhadzwaho u ṱuṱuwedza miṱa ya vhupo ha mahayani u bva kha u shumisa zwivhaswa zwa kale u ya kha zwa ano maḓuvha. Ngudo iyi yo livhiswa kha u asesa na u pfesesa zwiṱaluli zwine zwa ṱuṱuwedza u shumiswa ha khuni nga miṱa ya Muvhunduni wa Ga-Malahlela Vunduni ḽa Limpopo. Ṱhoḓisiso dzi si nngana dzo itwa nga ha u shumiswa ha khuni hu tshi tevhela u dzheniswa ha muḓagasi vhuponi ha mahayani Afurika Tshipembe, ho vha u bvisela khagala nga ha zwiṱuku zwo wanululwaho kha thero heyi ye ngudo ya i bveledzisa. U linga ho vha ho ḓisendeka nga ngudamirafho ya miṱa na kushumisele kwa fulufulu miṱani, hu na mbudzisombekanywa dzo dzudzanywaho dzo shumiswaho u swikelela kha u pfesesa nga vhuḓalo zwiṱaluli zwine zwa ta u shumiswa ha khuni. Ho dzhielwa nṱha uri khuni dzi kha ḓi shumiswa nga maanḓa u ḓisa ṱhoḓea dza fulufulu miṱani u fana na u bika, u vhilisa maḓi na u dudedza vhudzulo. Hezwi zwo tea nga maanḓa kha vhuimo ha matshilisano a zwa ikonomi miṱani: zwiṱaluli zwa ikonomi ya matshilisano zwi ngaho sa mbuelo, vhuimo ha pfunzo, vhuhulu ha muṱa na zwo no takalelwa ho wanwa uri ndi zwiṱaluli zwine zwa shumisa ṱhuṱhuwedzo khulwane ya u shumiswa ha khuni vhukati ha miṱa ya vhupo ha ngudo. Variabuḽu dza saikhoḽodzhikhaḽa na vhupo ha ḓivhashango zwa vhupo ha ngudo zwo sumbedziswa u ṱuṱuwedza u shumiswa ha khuni. Ngudo yo isa phanḓa na u wanulusa uri, sa zwo sumbedziswaho kha maṅwalwa o sedzuluswaho, miṱa kha vhupo ha ngudo i kuvhanganya fulufulu ngeno hu sina u gonya ha tshanduko ya kushumisele kwa fulufulu. Maṅwalwa o sedzuluswaho o sumbedzisa a tshi i sa phanḓa uri a si zwiṱaluli zwoṱhe zwine zwa vha na ndeme i linganaho kha u ta vhuḓifari na kushumisele kwa fulufulu miṱani. Hezwi zwi sumbedza uri zwiko zwa fulufulu zwi ngaho sa khuni a zwo ngo laṱelwa kule tshoṱhe fhedzi zwi shumiswa zwo ṱanganyiswa na zwiko zwa fulufulu zwa ano maḓuvha zwi ngaho sa muḓagasi. Ri tshi pendela, ngudo iyi i ta uri na musi muḓagasi u hone, nga nṱhani ha vhushayi na ṱhahelelo ya tshumelo dza muḓagasi wa mahala wa mutheo u fana na muḓagasi wa mahala wa mutheo, u ḓitika nga khuni vhuponi ha mahayani hu ḓo ḓi bvela phanḓa. / Department of Environmental Science / M.A. (Environmental Science)