This study concentrates specificaUy on assessing those elements of private and external costs and benefits which need to be accounted for in analyzing the role of electricity supply in a developing region. To facilitate this aim, three interrelated questions are addressed. The first question examines the reasons why a critical need for electrification in developing areas exists. In this regard, a selective review of the literature on development economics is offered, illuminating the previous neglect of the rural dimension in development and the associated problems of poverty and inequality, a lack of infrastructure and the general inability to fulfill basic needs. The second question is devoted exclusively to an economic analysis of the supply of electricity in developing areas. A broad theoretical review on whether an unregulated or regulated (private or public) sector should be responsible for the provision of electrification is presented. This evaluation highlights the various welfare implications and efficiency considerations that appear to be relevant in the present context. The final question, which constitutes the central proposition of the thesis, establishes how electrification should be supplied in developing areas. To this end, the conditions specific to a region in Venda are discussed. An attempt is made to identify the private and external costs and benefits relating to electricity supply and the corresponding costs and benefits pertaining to alternative sources of energy. Since the incidence and nature of these costs and benefits could only be ascertained from individual households, it was deemed necessary to undertake a questionnaire study of residents in Makwarela township and its periurban settlement of Lufule-Tshisele. A number of basic trends were evident from the research results. As far as the various benefits are concerned, respondents tended to place a much higher value on both the private and external benefits associated with electricity than its alternatives. At the same time, the survey found that although the private (or monetary) cost of electricity far exceeded the corresponding cost of alternative energy sources, the external costs were significant in the case of alternative energy sources, but virtually non-existent in the case of electricity. On the whole, the Venda survey seems to suggest that an economic case can be made for involving the broader community in subsidising the supply of electricity in Makwarela, Lufule-Tshisele and other areas. While such a subsidy can perhaps be justified on distribution grounds alone, and more specifically in terms of the rapid and pronounced effect it is likely to have on the quality of life in the region, its real worth lies in the fact that it may confer certain external benefits on the community.

Various allegations have been levelled against certain local authorities in South Africa. These allegations include poor governance, maladministration, corruption and poor service delivery. Some of the South African municipalities are unable to deliver sufficient services to the people due to financial instability. On the other side the fact that the municipalities have to generate their own revenue is no longer sufficient. However, government, both national and provincial has to support the municipalities in terms of their capacity to provide services. While government has to provide services to the people to ensure their welfare, people from local communities should also support the continuous provision of `these services by paying for municipal rates and services. These may include services such as water, refuse removal and electricity as well as property taxes. The main issue is that these services are not readily available, for instance water has to be purified. The situation at Mnquma Local Municipality as indicated in the financial and other reports is such that there is a very slow payment of rates and services, which leads to the municipality relying mostly on government grants, and this puts a heavy strain on service delivery by the municipality. Seemingly, it has been long that rates and services have not been paid in Butterworth-even before the restructuring of the municipality (i.e. before the Mnquma Municipality came into being). However, if alternatives could be found to enhance regular payment of rates and services the municipality might improve in terms of its capacity to deliver services.

No abstract available. / Thesis (M.U.R.P.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2002.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2000. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The South African Electricity Distribution Industry is riddled with tariffs. Every utility in South Africa probably uses some method for allocating cost, whether it is theoretically founded or not. There are currently over 2000 different tariffs in South Africa and the need for rationalisation has been widely recognised and acknowledged. Many of these tariffs have not been the outflow of accepted methodologies but rather a function of individual utility policy and practices. There is however a dire need to standardise such methodologies in the future. A standardised methodology might be the only way to eventually rationalise the thousands of tariffs that exist in the electricity industry. Government has emphasised the importance of tariffs to be cost reflective in the future. The only possible way to reach this objective would be to determine clear and concise methods of allocating cost that can be utilised by the entire industry. This study project describes a standardised methodology for determining the cost to supply different customer categories in an electricity distributor. The methodology offers enough flexibility not to bind any party into laboursome, complex and time consuming costing activities. It does however require that the costs of a distributor are carefully investigated and all functions performed in the utility are isolated. This is referred to as ringfencing of costs. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die Suid-Afrikaanse Elektrisiteitverspreidingsbedryf het veelvuldige tariewe. Elke utiliteit in Suid-Afrika gebruik waarskynlik 'n metode vir kostetoedeling, wat nie noodwendig teoreties gebaseer is nie. Huidiglik is daar meer as 2000 verskillende tariewe in Suid-Afrika en dit word alom besef en erken dat gronde vir rasionalisering bestaan. Baie van die tariewe het nie ontstaan uit die gebruik van aanvaarbare berekeningsmetodes nie, maar was eerder die gevolg van individuele beleid en praktyke van utiliteite. Daar is 'n dringende behoefte om hierdie berekeningsmetodes in die toekoms te standardiseer. 'n Standaard metode mag die enigste manier wees om uiteindelik die duisende tariewe wat in die elektrisiteitsbedryf bestaan te rasionaliseer. Die regering het die belangrikheid dat tariewe in die toekoms koste reflekterend moet wees benadruk. Die enigste moontlike manier om hierdie doelwit te bereik, is om helder en duidelike metodes vir koste toedeling te bepaal vir gebruik deur die hele bedryf. Hierdie verhandeling beskryf 'n standaard metodologie om die koste te bepaal om verskillende klantegroepe in 'n elektrisiteitsverspreider van krag te voorsien. Die metodologie bied voldoende plooibaarheid om geen party aan arbeidintensiewe, kompleks en tydrowende kostebepalings te verbind nie. Dit vereis egter dat die koste van 'n verspreider noukeurig ondersoek word en dat alle funksies wat verrig word uitgelig word. Hierna word verwys as afbakening van kostes.

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Amid the climate change crisis of the 21st century, South Africa faces its own, tailor-made challenges. In its attempt to contribute to the global effort to mitigate climate change and achieve sustainable development, South Africa faces the challenge of a history steeped in cheap electricity - the curse of an abundance of coal. The municipality, as the lowest leg of governance, currently finds itself at a tough nexus, involving; municipal mandates to provide basic services; the possible financial risks of implementing RETs; the regulatory ambiguity surrounding electricity generation and distribution jurisdiction; and the necessary implementation of RETs as a means of addressing the growing risk of revenue loss from reduced electricity sales as consumers install their own RETs, and as a contribution to national climate change mitigation. This nexus is herein referred to as the ‘municipal dilemma’. This thesis, via a complex systems approach, explores the major barriers and policy opportunities in the implementation of renewable energy technologies (RETs) by municipalities embedded within the larger ambit of the South African government, as they attempt to address what the author has termed the ‘municipal dilemma’. What is especially interesting and relevant about a complex systems approach is the notion of learning and therefore adaptability. In light of municipalities and their role in the South African context, the notion of systems learning affords a unique perspective into the municipal dilemma and means of overcoming it. From a literature analysis of policy, through to a specific case study of Hessequa municipality, this study sought to assist municipalities in addressing this dilemma. South Africa’s energy and municipal management policies starting from the Constitution, is found to be conducive to the growth of RETs. Furthermore, there are clear channels through which municipalities can engage with these new technologies to address the municipal dilemma. What is seen to hinder this process is a web of institutional, political and regulatory barriers stemming from the over-politicization of the country’s energy sector - a direct result of a long history entrenched in coal-fired electricity generation. What was found lacking in the South African energy debate was the perspective of the municipality itself, which is ultimately tasked with catering for the energy needs of South African citizens while participating in national efforts. The notion that municipalities are best positioned to be influential in the growth of RETs is reinforced by the literature explored and through a complex systems approach. To effectively play their role, municipalities must: (a) be creative and bold in their development of appropriate policies to support RETs; (b) align their efforts with provincial and national programmes and simultaneously influence these programmes through municipal experience; (c) take advantage of systems in place, such as the Integrated Development Plan (IDP) process, to gradually build capacity within the municipality to manage increasingly complex RET implementation; (d) develop long-term strategies which, as per the tenets of complex systems theory, must feed from and into the ever-changing national and global landscape. This thesis posits that the municipal dilemma not only needs to be addressed, but offers the municipality a unique opportunity to rethink its role in the South African context. It has been found that a conducive regulatory environment is on the rise in the South African energy context. This environment, however, still requires much input from municipalities which are well positioned to offer direction to the policy creation process. In doing so, municipalities not only address the municipal dilemma, by also take their place as custodians of sustainable development. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Te midde van die krisis van die 21ste eeu, naamlik die uitdaging van klimaatverandering, staar Suid-Afrika sy eie, unieke uitdagings in die gesig. Met die nodigheid om by te dra tot die globale poging om klimaatsverandering te versag en volhoubare ontwikkeling mee te bring, is Suid-Afrika gekonfronteer met die uitdaging van 'n geskiedenis ‘ryk’ in goedkoop elektrisiteit - die vloek van 'n oorvloed steenkool. Hierdienooreenkomstig bevind die munisipaliteit, as die laagste been van regering, homself in 'n moeilike krisispunt, naamlik die handhawing van die grondwetlike mandaat om basiese dienste te verskaf, en om ekonomiese ontwikkeling te verseker, maar tog by te dra tot die land se volhoubare ontwikkeling. Dit is uiters moeilik om alle aspekte genoegsaam aan te spreek, en hierna word verwys as die munsipale dilemma. Ter oorweging van die munisipaliteit as ingebed in 'n groter stelsel, naamlik die Suid-Afrikaanse konteks, en met 'n komplekse stelselsbenadering om die munisipale dilemma aan te spreek, ondersoek hierdie tesis die groot struikelblokke tot, en beleidsgeleenthede vir, die implementering van hernubare energietegnologie deur munisipaliteite. In terme van die komplekse stelsels benadering is veral belangrik die opvattings van leer en dus aanpasbaarheid van die stelsels en hul relevansie vir die Suid-Afrikaanse konteks. Uit 'n ontleding van die beleidsliteratuur, en deur ‘n spesifieke gevallestudie van Hessequa munisipaliteit, poog hierdie studie om munisipaliteite te help in die aanspreek van hul dilemma. Daar is gevind dat Suid-Afrika se energie- en munisipale bestuursbeleid, vanaf die Grondwet, die groei van hernubare energietegnologie bevorder. Verder is daar duidelike kanale waardeur munisipaliteite betrokke kan raak by hierdie nuwe tegnologie ten einde die munisipale dilemma aan te spreek. Hierdie proses word wel verhinder deur 'n web van institusionele, politieke en regulatoriese hindernisse, wat spruit uit die oorverpolitisering van die land se energie-sektor; 'n direkte gevolg van 'n lang geskiedenis verskans in steenkool-aangedrewe opwekking van elektrisiteit. Wat ontbreek in die Suid-Afrikaanse energie-debat is die perspektief van die munisipaliteit self, wat uiteindelik getaak is met die adressering van die behoeftes van die Suid-Afrikaanse samelewing, met gelyktydige deelname aan nasionale pogings. Die plaaslike en globale gevallestudies lig talle gemeenskaplike temas uit en vorm die basis van die gevolgtrekkings van hierdie tesis. Die idee dat munisipaliteite die beste geposisioneer is om invloedryk te wees in die groei van hernubare energietegnologie word versterk deur die literatuur ondersoek en deur middel van 'n komplekse sisteem benadering tot die gevallestudies. Om effektief te wees in hul rol, moet munisipaliteite (a) kreatief en dapper wees in hul ontwikkeling van toepaslike beleide om dié tegnologieë te ondersteun; (b) hul pogings in lyn bring met provinsiale en nasionale programme en terselfdertyd hierdie programme beïnvloed deur munisipale ervaring; (c) voordeel trek uit stelsels wat reeds in plek is om geleidelik kapasiteit op te bou binne die munisipaliteit om die toenemend komplekse hernubare energie implementering te bestuur; en (d) langtermyn strategieë ontwikkel in die steeds veranderende nasionale en internasionale landskap. Hierdie tesis postuleer dus dat die munisipale dilemma nie net aangespreek moet word nie, maar bied die munisipaliteit 'n unieke geleentheid om sy rol in die Suid-Afrikaanse konteks te heroorweeg. Wat bevind is, is dat toepaslike beleid reeds bestaan en dat munisipaliteite hul plek kan inneem as bewaarders van volhoubare ontwikkeling.

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Engineering, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2017. / Much equipment in the eThekwini Electricity network has been in use for several decades. Failure of this equipment could critically impact electricity supply to customers, and result in high costs associated with loss of load and/or component replacement. The fundamental motive for any power utility is to plan, operate, and maintain power infrastructure such that customers receive reliable electric services at the minimum expense possible. For this dissertation, the Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) model was implemented in the eThekwini Electricity network. This model emphasises the importance of long-term planning and allocation of resources over the life time of a transformer, or any other component. RCM is an ongoing process that entails gathering data from operating systems performance, and using this data to improve design, operation, and maintenance of the system. The eThekwini Power network failure statistics for the previous five years were collected and thoroughly analysed to identify critical components associated with higher failure rates, and associated consequences. Upon examination, it was determined that the power transformer is a critical component of the system. The transformer plays a significant role in the power system due to its remarkable effect on overall reliability, in addition to the fact that it is a major cost factor in the power grid. Transformer management comprises of identifying the appropriate type and frequency of maintenance, and the appropriate time to replace the transformer in a cost-effective manner. The Markov model for ascertaining the transformer’s remaining service life was applied on the identified critical transformer. The transformer deterioration process is modelled by representing the oil insulation by discrete stages. Using the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standard for interpreting the transformer insulation, the transformer under review was found to be at stage two. Further analysis was performed on system unavailability rates versus mean time to first failure (MTTFF). The analyses indicated that the higher the MTTFF, the longer the system availability whereas the lower the MTTFF, the more reduced the system availability. Improving the MTTFF rates of a system will enhance reliability. The effective application of RCM will optimise the maintenance processes with reasonable expenditures. / M

The study was premised on the truism that men have historically served in higher echelons of organizational management structures and women are under-represented. The principal objective was to explore the constraints faced by women in accessing higher leadership and senior management positions in public, private and non-governmental organisations in Zimbabwe. This study adopted the triangulation method, that is, qualitative and quantitative approaches. These mixed research methods, were upgraded by the feminist research methodologies, thereby making a contribution in the field of research. The study found out that the constraints that mostly hinder women from accessing leadership and senior management positions in public, private and NGOs were cultural practices, which represent levels of power and control that in turn hinder reforms; and women's socialisation into feminised roles. The study also found out that in most organisations, most females work under male leadership, and this traditional organisational culture, needs to be deconstructed and reversed in order to achieve gender equality. The study recommended for a human centric and integrated organizational management strategy for public, private and NGOs in Zimbabwe. The adoption of a human centric and integrated management approach should aim at gender equity and reduce women's under-representation. A human centred organizational culture has to be practiced, that would create organisational ethos that guide organizational management. An integrated organizational management approach should integrate all systems and processes into one complete framework, enabling people to work as a single unit, unified by organizational goals, shared vision and common values. The system should depend on a balanced mix of the masculine and feminine attributes. The approach should put its weight towards adoption of measures to attract, advance and empower women so as to benefit from their qualifications, experience and talent in a highly competitive environment.

MSc (Statistics) / Department of Statistics / Daily peak electricity data from ESKOM, South African power utility company for the period, January 1997 to December 2013 consisting of 6209 observations were used in this dissertation. Since 1994, the increased electricity demand has led to sustainability issues in South Africa. In addition, the electricity demand continues to rise everyday due to a variety of driving factors. Considering this, if the electricity generating capacity in South Africa does not show potential signs of meeting the country’s demands in the subsequent years, this may have a significant impact on the national grid causing it to operate in a risky and vulnerable state, leading to disturbances, such as load shedding as experienced during the past few years. In particular, it is of greater interest to have sufficient information about the extreme value of the stochastic load process in time for proper planning, designing the generation and distribution system, and the storage devices as these would ensure efficiency in the electrical energy in order to maintain discipline in the grid systems. More importantly, electricity is an important commodity used mainly as a source of energy in industrial, residential and commercial sectors. Effective monitoring of electricity demand is of great importance because demand that exceeds maximum power generated will lead to power outage and load shedding. It is in the light of this that the study seeks to assess the frequency of occurrence of extreme peak electricity demand in order to come up with a full electricity demand distribution capable of managing uncertainties in the grid system. In order to achieve stationarity in the daily peak electricity demand (DPED), we apply a penalized regression cubic smoothing spline to ensure the data is non-linearly detrended. The R package “evmix” is used to estimate the thresholds using the bounded corrected kernel density plot. The non-linear detrended datasets were divided into summer, spring, winter and autumn according to the calender dates in the Southern Hemisphere for frequency analysis. The data is declustered using Ferro and Segers automatic declustering method. The cluster maxima is extracted using the R package “evd”. We fit Poisson GPD and stationary point process to the cluster maxima and the intensity function of the point process which measures the frequency of occurrence of the daily peak electricity demand per year is calculated for each dataset. The formal goodness-of-fit test based on Cramer-Von Mises statistics and Anderson-Darling statistics supported the null hypothesis that each dataset follow Poisson GPD (σ, ξ) at 5 percent level of significance. The modelling framework, which is easily extensible to other peak load parameters, is based on the assumption that peak power follows a Poisson process. The parameters of the developed i models were estimated using the Maximum Likelihood. The usual asymptotic properties underlying the Poisson GPD were satisfied by the model. / NRF

The need for constructive and effective sustainable community development in South Africa is recognised as a cornerstone for national development. Having a clear understanding of sustainable development and sustainable community development is a prerequisite in developing sustainable communities. A current rate of unemployment and low skills level pose a threat to sustainable development within the communities. There is growing interest within businesses and organisations to contribute towards corporate social responsibility (CSR) programmes and initiatives. However, this is an enormous task to address socioeconomic challenges in South Africa due to limited resources and high expectations. The businesses should implement well-structured plans for corporate social responsibility. Furthermore, planned initiatives generally tend to appropriately promote social harmony within targeted community. Skeptics of CSR often claim that business should focus on profits and let the government or non-profit organisations deal with social and environmental issues. The Eskom’ power stations under this study do make some contribution to social and economic development in South Africa, which is realised through corporate social responsibility (CSR) policy within the areas of Ermelo and Balfour. Most people in these communities feel they have been neglected for a long time as their social concerns have not been resolved. The community have recently pressurised these power stations to become corporate citizens; to take on CSR and work towards sustainable community development in their areas. There is a perception within the community that the management of Camden and Grootvlei power stations is not actively involved in executing CSR programmes; hence the intention of the study is to present an interesting analysis of these perceptions by exploring the experienced outcome of CSR initiatives around Ermelo and Balfour in improving the livelihood of the people, inter alia: unemployment and education. The case study research design was adopted for this research and employed a qualitative approach to understand the individual perceptions about the phenomenon under study. The data were collected by means of semi-structured interviews and electronic email. The responses from the participants were analysed using ATLAS.ti software to identify codes and patterns in primary data. The total selected sampling was 25, but those who participated were only 17. From the key findings, it was evident that these power stations do make some contributions towards CSR within their community. However, this study revealed a gap in the way CSR is practiced and implemented: social responsibility and real sustainable development do not reach the community. The findings also brought to light vast differences in the perceptions of various stakeholders regarding available programmes that support sustainable development within the community. These vast differences could mean that this study represents the start of a long-term process. Moreover, the study suggests some critical underlying factors that should be dealt with to close this gap: communication, awareness of available programmes, budget challenges and commitment, and identifying who should take responsibility for various aspects of development. The outcomes of this study are based on how stakeholders view community development needs and challenges by means of three cases that emerged during data analysis: case 1) community; 2). CSR project manager; 3) Top Management. Overall, this study contributes to the applied research area of; proper community engagement programmes, management engagement, employment, training and development, and education. / Business Management / M. Tech. (Business Administration)

Environmental impact assessment follow-up has been widely addressed by various researchers. However, there is still a gap in the actual implementation of this process. This study addresses this gap by evaluating the effectiveness of implementing the environmental authorizations of Eskom’s Kusile and Medupi Power Stations during the construction phase. The main aim of the study is to determine whether the environmental authorization conditions were effectively implemented by project developers and whether full compliance which could lead towards sustainable development was at the forefront of Kusile and Medupi developments. The survey method was used whereby questionnaires were formulated and completed by fifty (50) participants involved in the implementation of both power stations’ environmental authorizations. The results showed that the importance of protecting the environment and overall compliance with the projects’ environmental authorization conditions are well understood and implemented. However, some of the responses indicated the difficulty in implementing certain environmental authorization conditions such as retaining existing vegetation cover. About Nineteen (19) external audit reports (of which nine were for Kusile and ten for Medupi) between the periods of 2008 to 2014 were reviewed and the audit results shown good percentage of over 90% compliance with the environmental authorization at both power stations. In conclusion, the environmental authorizations were well implemented by both Kusile and Medupi Power Stations. The environmental management through compliance with the environmental authorization is at the forefront of the Eskom’s developments and thus promotes sustainable development. The outcome of this study has a wide application that includes application to any new project that involves building infrastructure. / Environmental Sciences / M. Sc. (Environmental Management)