Claire Barclay

With this in mind, Enoch Godongwana, South Africa’s minister of finance, outlined in the annual budget speech on 12 March the government’s plan to allocate R1.03 trillion (approx. US$54.7 billion) for public infrastructure projects by state-owned companies over the next three years. Included in the plan was R156.3 billion to water and sanitation infrastructure, R402 billion for road infrastructure and R219.2 billion for energy infrastructure.

From June 2023, Cape Town will start paying cash to commercial and industrial customers to feed excess power generated from small-scale embedded generators (SSEGs) back into its municipal grid. The move reflects the fact that an increasing number of South Africans are investing in rooftop solar panels, diesel generators and other means of electricity generation as a substantial rise in load-shedding deprives users of power for more than 11 hours each day on average.

The National Rail Policy White Paper (110 page / 5.51MB PDF) is intended to dovetail with existing policy such as the New Growth Path, the National Development Plan, and the Integrated Urban Development Framework. Its ultimate purpose is to chart an overarching trajectory for the future of the rail sector in South Africa, covering both freight and passenger rail.