Abstract
There have been frequent and severe electricity blackouts in South Africa within the past 15 years. Unresolved energy crises in this country result from scheduled blackouts called load-shedding and unscheduled blackouts. Most parts of the South African townships’ experience load-shedding and recurring unscheduled electricity blackouts, which have a massive impact on the community’s economic and social development. Hence, the study aims to explore how interrelationships of spatial planning, energy demand, and supply relate to planning for rapid population growth, influx, and change in family dynamic settings in townships, which caused and be used to mitigate blackouts.
Conducted as a qualitative study, the research employs purposive and convenience non-probability sampling to gather data from participants with diverse expertise. Purposive sampling was applied for scheduled interviews with 11 intended encounters, while 9 unintended encounters and 22 households’ a convenience sampling was applied to unscheduled interviews. Four data collection procedures (observations, photographs, questionnaires, and interviews) were applied, and the data gathered from questionnaires and interviews was analysed using content and discourse analysis.
Multiple physical contributing factors were found to be the cause of blackouts. Such as old or inefficient infrastructure, cable theft, and overload on power grid that are influenced by overcrowding, corruption, and poor management, which result from incompetence of Eskom and poor governance. However, this has caused end-users of electricity to find alternative sources and measures to cope with the blackouts in relation to their finances, capacity, and demand for electricity. These measures and blackout implications have affected end-users socially and economically.
Jabulani spatial and energy planning was discovered to be inefficient relating to the increasing population, hence, there are massive and recurring unscheduled blackouts. Failure of the planning is induced by government negligence and poor management that failed to provide necessary support and tools to the electricity
iv
supplier. End-users have measures but struggle to keep up with the implications that hinder social and economic development.
There are multiple recommendations; however, they are associated with suggestions from participants. Meaning the possible solution proposes renewable energy sources and improved spatial and energy planning that need all stakeholders to participants in the planning, implementation, and financial assist to eradicate blackouts.