LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Grid upgrades vital for reliable power and growth

Andrew Kenny is entitled to argue against wind and solar (“Solar and wind are ruinously expensive for the grid”, August 26). But his conclusion that South Africa therefore does not need a major transmission build does not follow.

Our transmission network is already constrained, ageing and increasingly unable to connect new generation or major new loads. The National Transmission Company’s own development plan identifies about 14,500km of new transmission lines required by 2034, with substantial new transformer capacity. Those investments are intended to address existing reliability problems, connect new customers and accommodate new generation.

That generation does not have to be wind or solar. If South Africa builds new nuclear capacity it will need transmission. Gas-to-power will need transmission. New coal would need transmission. Imported hydro, storage projects and new industrial customers all depend on a grid capable of moving large quantities of electricity from where it is available to where it is needed.

There is also a market issue. South Africa is moving towards a more competitive electricity system in which generators sell to multiple buyers and electricity is wheeled across the network. That model cannot work if the grid has insufficient capacity to connect either the generator or the customer.

The R440bn programme should certainly be scrutinised. Every project must be justified, properly sequenced and procured at a reasonable cost. We should also be asking how much of the investment can be financed privately and what the eventual impact will be on transmission tariffs.

But the argument over South Africa’s generation mix should not be confused with the need for the grid itself. Whatever power stations we build, the electricity still has to reach the customer.

Kevin Mileham, MP

DA spokesperson on electricity & energy

Municipal failures demand accountability and competent leadership

Why should the ANC get another chance to fix failing municipalities? (“ANC unveils 6-point plan for 2026 local elections”, August 23)

The party is asking South Africans to give it another opportunity to fix towns that in many parts of the country have been struggling with poor service delivery, financial mismanagement, failing infrastructure and weak accountability for years.

The question South Africans should ask is simple: if the ANC has had more than 25 years to improve local government, why should citizens believe that another opportunity will produce a different outcome?

Municipal government is where citizens experience the state most directly. It is where people expect reliable water, electricity, refuse collection, functioning roads, sanitation and properly maintained public facilities. Yet many communities continue to experience the opposite.

Municipalities cannot function effectively when political interests take precedence over competent administration, when infrastructure is allowed to deteriorate and when financial management is repeatedly weakened.

The solution cannot simply be to promise voters that things will be different after another election. South Africans need evidence of a new approach to governance.

The responsibility for fixing local government does not rest with one political party alone. Every party that seeks to govern municipalities must be prepared to demonstrate that it has the leadership, skills and integrity required to manage public resources responsibly.

South Africans should therefore judge political parties not by their promises but by their record, their plans and their ability to deliver measurable improvements. After more than two decades of ANC-led government citizens have every right to ask: what will actually be different this time?

Tsepo Mhlongo

Gauteng leader, Build One South Africa

Economic diplomacy should prioritise trade partnerships

Ofentse Davhie is correct that South Africa must have a multiplex strategy in its foreign policy (“This is the flaw in SA’s great-power pivot”, August 24).

This is where the country’s economic diplomacy strategy focuses: seeking trade and investment with all regions. Essentially, South Africa’s economic diplomacy approach should be to deepen friendships across borders, emphasising trade matters (and aligning our foreign policy with trade).

South Africa, a small open economy, doesn’t have the luxury of leaning towards a particular country (the US or China); we need to navigate these relationships as Australia does. It trades well with China and maintains fair relations with the US and other parts of the world.

Our economic diplomacy approach should focus on trade and investment, with a presence across all regions. The business community and industries would support this approach. It certainly would work for us in agriculture as we seek to widen export markets to various parts of the world.

This will mean that even in political leaders’ engagements and commentary the energy must be spread across various countries, with a primary focus on the US, as Davhie argues in the essay.

Wandile Sihlobo

Agricultural Business Chamber of South Africa

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