A world where everyone is energy rich

Combining her interests in gender issues and sustainable energy, Nthabiseng Mohlakoana hopes to provide viable energy solutions for low-income rural households in her native South Africa.

‘I believe renewable energy can work for everyone,’ she said emphatically. ‘With sunshine all year long in my country, there is no need for anyone to be energy poor.’ Mohlakoana, 36, has been interested in the topic since 2006 and is now a PhD student at the UT Centre for Technology and Sustainable Development. She recently returned from collecting data in the Eastern Cape of South Africa.

‘The Transkei homeland is still wild,’ she said. ‘There are one-road towns and people rely on the old ways of living. Most children must walk 4 km to school and many have to cross the Umzimvubu River, one of the biggest and most dangerous in South Africa.’

Mohlakoana spent the summer investigating how five local municipalities implement the country’s alternative energy policy. ‘It is very easy to write a policy,’ she said. ‘But local governments lack resources. For example, when solar panels malfunction, no one in the village is trained to repair them.’

The terrain also makes it difficult to transport materials. And, unlike urban areas, the smaller, scattered, rural communities often have more urgent needs to address, like health care and water supplies.

Currently, the local populations rely on wood or cow dung for their cooking fuel. ‘Women collect the wood and manage energy usage. So that brings in the gender issue,’ said Mohlakoana. ‘Because of deforestation, many have to walk up to 5 km to look for wood. This task contributes to health problems like back pain, because the women and young girls carry the wood on their heads. The women can be bitten by snakes and are often intimidated on the road. Some are raped.’

The easiest solution for local governments is to supply families, with an average income of €240 per month, with paraffin which costs €1 per litre. But Mohlakoana hopes to convince the municipalities to commit to long-term energy solutions. ‘There is a lot of potential for wind energy, especially along the coast,’ she said. ‘It’s really all about convincing the local governments to buy into renewable resources. You also have to consider each municipality on a case-by-case basis.’

After completing her Masters degree in Energy Studies at the University of Cape Town, Mohlakoana worked for three years for the Human Sciences Research Council in Cape Town. Her primary focus was on household energy research issues which integrated aspects of migration, service delivery, gender, governance and urbanization. She also was commissioned to explore xenophobic violence in South Africa. ‘Skin colour and gender are, I am sorry to say, still issues in my country,’ she said. ‘Being in the Netherlands, no one sees me simply as “black” or as “a woman,” but for who I really am and what I can do.’

Out of the eleven official South African languages, Mohlakoana can speak Zulu, Sotho, Xhosa, Tswana, and Pedi, and for political reasons, was forced to learn Afrikaans throughout her schooling. For Mohlakoana, Afrikaans, which is closely related to the Dutch language, represented the former apartheid government. ‘It was very difficult for me to take the Dutch intensive class when I arrived here,’ she said. ‘I wasn’t expecting it to be such an emotional experience. But then I decided to embrace Dutch, because it contributes to my healing process and helps me to come to terms with my country’s past.’ She appreciates the chance in the Netherlands to meet people from other African countries and the time for self-reflection. ‘New places bring a new life to me.’

But her real love is for her home country. ‘I hope to give back a small token of thanks to the people of my own country who are still disadvantaged in many ways. I hope I can contribute to a democratic South Africa.’

Catherine Ann Lombard

Mohlakoana is a recipient of the Oppenheimer Memorial Trust International scholarship. ‘I am grateful for the opportunity and funding to do what I love to do.’ Photo: Gijs van Ouwerkerk

Mohlakoana collected data from villages like this one in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. Photo: Nthabiseng Mohlakoana

Orphans in a village in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. Photo: Nthabiseng Mohlakoana

‘The scenery in the Eastern Cape of South Africa is beautiful, but difficult to reach,’ said Mohlakoana. Photo: Nthabiseng Mohlakoana

Nelson Mandela’s home in Qunu village. Photo: Nthabiseng Mohlakoana

Most villagers use wood or cow dung to cook with. Mohlakoana hopes to provide a better energy solution. Photo: Nthabiseng Mohlakoana

Mohlakoana crosses the Umzimvubu River in the Eastern Cape of South Africa to collect data for her PhD field work. Photo: Nthabiseng Mohlakoana