Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / Census 2011 put the rate of electrification in South Africa at 84 percent. Even though this is a
positive outcome to the previously recorded 34 percent, it has served as a clear indication that the
target for Universal Access to Electricity by 2014 as set by President Jacob Zuma is unlikely to be
achieved. In June 2013, cabinet approved the implementation of the new household electrification
strategy and in support of this decision the Department of Energy was tasked to develop a new
electrification roadmap or implementation plan.
The intention of this research study has been to contribute to the development of this strategic plan
by analysing the status of electrification in KwaZulu-Natal, as extracted from the provincial
Geographical Information System, in order to identify the optimal electrification roll out plan and to
develop guiding principles for the electrification of the province. The research outcomes provide a
view of the current state of electrification within the province, identify the major technical
constraints which hinder the progress, and provide recommendations for implementation roll out for
KwaZulu-Natal province.
The finding of this research is that of the 497 799 thousand un-electrified houses, 169 506 HH are
not electrifiable as there is not sufficient capacity on the existing networks to cater for these
households. Of those, 132 007 households are dependent on the establishment and construction
of new bulk infrastructure such as substations and lines, while 37 499 are dependent on the
upgrade or refurbishment of the existing infrastructure. The research has identified and categorised
the ‘critical’ bulk infrastructure that will benefit 5 000 households or more as well as the high impact
infrastructure projects that cater for 3 000 households or more.
The research has also identified municipalities that are above the average of 84 percent
electrification and categorised these as quick win areas to help in the progression toward universal
access. As the research has also identified the dark havens, named as such due to being less than
50 percent electrified and plagued by technical constraints which makes any electrification of these
areas not possible in the next five to ten years. Recommendations for responding to all four
categories of findings are put forward.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/96213 |
| Date | 12 1900 |
| Creators | Mthiyane, Zibuyisile |
| Contributors | Smit, A. T., Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. Graduate School of Business. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en_ZA |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | xi, 48 p. |
| Rights | Stellenbosch University |
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