Implementing the South African Free Basic Alternative Energy Policy Nthabi Mohlakoana

Map of SA provinces and location of the OR Tambo District

Map of local municipalities under OR Tambo District Total area: 11 064 km2

Remote, rural and difficult to reach

No access to grid electricity 15% of the population have no access to grid electricity, live mostly in the remote rural areas and use traditional energy sources AND, they are the poorest; Most households in these areas depend on govt. social grants and subsidies

Percentage of households using different energy sources for lighting

Percentage of households using different energy sources for cooking

What is Free Basic Alternative Energy (FBAE) policy? FBAE is a policy developed and published in 2007 by the Department of Energy Why?: To alleviate energy poverty in low-income remote rural and urban households without grid electricity How?: Provision of alternative energy services: Paraffin, LPG, plant-based gel fuel, SHS maintenance, coal, efficient wood stoves Implementation is partly funded by national government Local government is responsible for implementation (delivery of alternative energy sources to households)

Main Actors Public: Government: 3 spheres – National (policy making); Provincial (monitoring and capacity building); local (policy implementation) Public: Communities and Households – energy consumers Private: Energy distributors – Kerosene and RETs companies

Research questions Main question: How do actors influence the FBAE policy implementation process in the local municipal areas under the OR Tambo District? Secondary question: How do contextual factors influence the implementation of the FBAE policy?

Using the Contextual Interaction Theory for analysis Source: Bressers (2009)

An example of using CIT on the Noqhekwana case Source: Bressers (2009)

Adding the 3rd Actor Most significant outcome – showing the importance of the linking actor in a policy process.

Study conclusions Actors influence the FBAE policy implementation process in a complex manner depending on specific circumstances Actor motivations, cognitions and resources influence the implementation process Contextual factors such as the geographical location, multi-level governance and politics Using CIT has enabled an out-of-the-box approach to show that policy implementation failure should not be attributed only to lack of funds or the presence of corruption

THANK YOU n.mohlakoana@utwente.nl CSTM