KZN ENERGY INDABA
12 MARCH 2026
THEMBELA VENUE, RICHARDS BAY
Programme Director: Mr Alex Mthiyane;
KZN Premier, Hon. Thamsanqa Ntuli;
Deputy Minister, Dr. Nomalungelo Gina;
Honourable MEC for EDTEA, Rev. Musa Zondi;
Members of the Diplomatic Corps;
Mayor of King Cetshwayo District Municipality, Cllr. Skhumbuzo Dlamini;
Speaker of uMhlathuze Local Municipality, Cllr. Tobias Gumede;
Abantwana BaseNdlunkulu, uMtwana Vanana kanye noMtwana Simphiwe;
Deputy Mayor for King Cetshwayo District Municipality, Cllr. Philile Xulu;
Amakhosi of King Cetshwayo Local House of Traditional & Khoisan Leaders, Inkosi Mthiyane;
Director-General, Minerals Petroleum and Resources, Mr. Jacob Mbhele;
Director-General, Electricity and Energy- Mr. Subesh Pillay;
Head Of Department, Dr. Nkosenye Zulu;
CEO of RBIDZ, Mr. Thabani Zulu;
CEOs of Public Entities;
President of VOPAK South Africa, Mr. Oliver Naidoo;
President of the Zululand Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Ms. Mvubu;
Board Chairpersons;
Co- Chair of KZN Growth Coalition, Mr. Moses Tembe;
Captains of Industry;
Board Members;
Investors and Partners;
DDGs;
Senior Government representatives;
Esteemed Guests;
Members of the Media;
Ladies and Gentlemen;
Good Morning!
It is my honour to stand before you to lay the foundation for the deliberations that will define the work of this KZN Energy Indaba and, indeed, shape KwaZulu-Natal’s energy future.
Programme Director, this Inaugural KZN Energy Indaba arrives at a critical time for our province and is setting in motion a platform that must grow into a flagship forum for dialogue, collaboration, and collective action.
The theme: “Driving KwaZulu-Natal’s Energy Future”, speaks directly to our core responsibility of securing energy for our people and businesses - ensuring that we drive industrialisation, and advance the inclusive socio-economic transformation envisioned in our Provincial Growth Development Plan Vision 2035.
Energy through the lens of PGDP Vision 2035
The Provincial Growth Development Plan Vision 2035 places inclusive and sustainable economic growth, job creation, spatial equity, human capital development, strategic infrastructure, and effective governance at the centre of our developmental mandate.
Through this Energy Agenda, we must ensure that we address availability, accessibility, affordability, and sustainability, while decisively tackling poverty and inequality.
Energy is not simply an input into production, but it is the backbone of manufacturing, logistics, value-addition industries and every component of our modern economy. For communities, energy access unlocks dignity, safety, education, health, and entrepreneurship.
And indeed, energy security is a developmental imperative.
Investor Confidence, Business Stability, And Growth
We all know that investors consider various aspects when choosing an investment destination, and energy security is one key element. It is therefore important for us to ensure that our energy is stable, predictable and future-ready so that we are on top of the list as an investment destination.
Sustainable energy solutions boost investor confidence, secure industrial operations, and create meaningful jobs – lifting households out of poverty and also expanding the provincial tax base for social development.
It is in this background that we support the Energy Agenda fully
Youth and Women Inclusion — Driving a People-Centred Just Transition
Ladies and Gentlemen, you can go around the world, the energy strategy cannot be complete without people at the centre especially youth and women.
Just yesterday, the Department hosted a Youth Roundtable Session which was a precursor to this Indaba. The Round Table brought together young people from across the province to discuss their place in the future of energy. Their voices were clear that they cannot be left out of the energy transition. And they are right.
The energy transition must incorporate programmes that develop youth, empower young innovators, mainstream women-led enterprises, and ensure their full participation in both energy markets and energy discourse.
We cannot have a state that forgets about youth, if we ever do that we would have missed an opportunity of new ideas and innovation.
With this, I am saying our engagements must start now and must ensure that our young people transition with the sector, not after it.
A Just Transition Means Leaving No One Behind
We must confront our past with conviction. Too many communities, particularly rural and township households continue to experience energy poverty - a condition that has persisted for decades.
This history needs to change through a Just Transition that will close energy poverty and its gaps - and prioritise affordability and universal access, as well as ensure that rural and township economies become participants, not bystanders.
Challenges and Opportunities Acknowledged
Honourable Premier, yes, our province faces high unemployment and structural inequality but KZN also possesses extraordinary potential which includes established industrial corridors, world-class ports, strong manufacturing base, logistics networks and labour-intensive sectors ready for revitalisation. Our responsibility is to deal with bottlenecks, streamline approvals, and build bankable projects with speed.
We also need to face environmental and regulatory challenges with honesty.
Environmental considerations are critical to the implementation of energy projects.
As a province, we acknowledge and support efforts to resolve these issues through proper engagement, transparency, and compliance.
KZN & Richards Bay: The Energy Hub vision and gas implementation
Richards Bay and surrounding corridors have been strategically identified for major energy infrastructure and catalytic projects, with a clear Energy Hub vision anchored here.
Central to that vision is the implementation of gas projects from mid-stream infrastructure to downstream industrial usage positioning Richards Bay as a primary site for gas-to-industry and gas-to-power solutions.
This is a game-changer for our economy as this will support heavy industry, smelting, petrochemicals, and energy-intensive manufacturing.
Sustainable Energy will also stimulate beneficiation of our mineral endowments and support localisation across supply chains and also advance inclusive growth.
The deliberations that will happen at this Indaba and beyond, must help to ensure that no one is left behind - our rural communities, township economies, and small businesses must see themselves in the new energy economy as role players.
EDTEA’s commitment & the role of RBIDZ
The Department of Economic Development, Tourism & Environmental Affairs (EDTEA) is fully committed to supporting businesses and entities driving energy solutions backing the realisation of the Energy Hub vision while ensuring that our institutional ecosystem delivers.
We have entrusted the Richards Bay Industrial Development Zone (RBIDZ) to coordinate and drive implementation of these projects.
RBIDZ has attracted a strong pipeline of energy-linked investments, with projects valued at approximately R242 billion in the pipeline. This momentum reflects investor confidence and the strategic positioning of Richards Bay within national and regional value chains.
Allow me to acknowledge the notable work of RBIDZ to date, and reaffirm our expectation that this energy agenda will be driven to fruition in close collaboration with Transnet, Eskom, and other mission-critical institutions, as well as partners.
We also welcome the Eskom project earmarked for Richards Bay, alongside with other projects in the RBIDZ pipeline, which will significantly strengthen industrial capacity and grid support over time.
Additionally, we thank the Minister of Electricity and Energy who provides leadership and remains committed to the vision of energy security.
We also acknowledge the support from the Minister of Minerals, Petroleum and Resources.
Equally, we thank and value the Minister of Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the DTIC), for the ongoing infrastructure support within the RBIDZ, helping to de-risk projects and accelerate industrial development.
Partnerships, municipalities, and functional institutions
We must acknowledge that thriving cities and industrial hubs rest on three pillars of Public-private partnerships - that mobilise capital and innovation, functional, capable municipalities that provide efficient services and approvals, and reliable intergovernmental coordination that resolve constraints and align infrastructure sequencing.
Our commitment therefore is to strengthen each pillar so that Richards Bay and the broader KZN economy can scale up rapidly and sustainably.
Dealing with Energy Poverty & Securing the Long Term
Programme Director, guided by the provincial Energy Master Plan, we want to confront energy poverty head-on, simultaneously advancing grid-connected utility solutions and distributed energy options where appropriate.
Our Plan anchors our provincial response to the electricity crisis. It coordinates efforts across departments and stakeholders to ensure coherence, prioritisation, and impact.
It also aligns with the National Integrated Resource Plan and broader Integrated Energy Plans.
This ensures that KZN’s actions reinforce national energy objectives while meeting local development needs
What This Indaba Must Achieve
As we start the Programme of today, we wish to have robust and open talks about constraints regulatory, permitting, infrastructure, financing and seek solutions, and look into appropriate financing models.
We also want to discuss issues relating to skills pipelines for young people and ensure inclusive participation of communities and SMMEs, establish clear roles and accountability across the public and private sectors so that progress is measurable and momentum is sustained.
Most importantly, this platform must be open for honest conversation and practical solutions.
Gratitude and call to action
I wish to acknowledge our national Ministers in absentia and further thank their representatives here with us today. We are honoured and thankful for your continued
support and leadership.
KwaZulu-Natal remains hopeful, and as government we are determined to realise this Energy Hub Vision that will be a national key point.
To our investors who have identified KZN and Richards Bay as prime destinations, you have the full support of government. Your partnership is critical to the nation and us in achieving competitiveness and inclusion.
To our municipalities, SOEs, private-sector partners and industry: your collaboration is how we will move from ‘plans to projects’ implementation, from projects to operations, and from operations to jobs.
Opening the Indaba
Ladies and Gentlemen, as the MEC responsible for economic development in this province, let me be unequivocal; we want more projects, more investment, and more opportunities for our people.
We will not regress. Our people need stability, dignity, and prosperity.
Under our collective leadership, we have demonstrated progress and we intend to deliver on our mandate together.
With those words, I officially open the KZN Energy Indaba.
Let us engage with sincerity, collaborate with purpose, and leave here with clear commitments that will bring the Energy Hub vision to life.
Thank you.