Johannesburg, June 11 2026 — Minister of Electricity and Energy Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa told the SEIFSA Energy Conference on Thursday that his engagement was the first of many more with the Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa and business.
The one-day conference, held at Emperors Palace, Kempton Park, united stakeholders from government, regulators, producers, financiers and industry to address the most pressing energy issues facing manufacturers.
As part of his address – Energy Is Economic Power | South Africa’s Strategic Transformation – Ramokgopa outlined the journey the country has taken from the crippling energy crisis to a point where the country produces excess electricity. “We have resolved load-shedding; that is behind us,” he said, adding that the country now had a template of how not to do things and the government was working on doing things correctly now.
The Minister said the government was committed to investing in all types of energy generation and understood the enormous cost of inaction and its impact on productivity and employment.
“Today is important because energy has become the single most important determinant of South Africa’s industrial competitiveness. For the metals and engineering sector, the backbone of South Africa’s industrial base, the health of the ESI shapes investment decisions, production capacity and employment,” said SEIFSA Chief Executive Officer, Tafadzwa Chibanguza.
As well as the Minister’s speech, there were also three panel discussions that covered issues covering the infrastructure, affordability and sustainability of South Africa’s energy supply. The conference provided a platform for stakeholders to engage on a range of practical issues that matter most to manufacturers: restoring system reliability, improving tariff predictability, expanding transmission infrastructure and strengthening municipal performance.
In his concluding remarks, Chibanguza agreed with Ramokgopa, saying the Energy Conference was the start of an important conversation. “As we conclude today’s session, we have received very clear direction from government and business. The Minister has left us with an open invitation to ensure that todays conference is not the end of the conversation but the first of many engagments to follow. We intend taking up the invitation, keep the conversation going and most importantly, bring the SEIFSA affiliated memebership along every step of the way.”
