Energy Conversations Podcast

Kani Development Solutions

Powering Up South Africa: The Energy Conversations Podcast dives deep into the heart of South Africa's energy revolution. Hosted by seasonedz energy expert Thokozile Zambane and powered by the African Energy Leadership Centre at Wits Business School, this podcast platform decodes the complexities of our energy future. From policy shifts to groundbreaking innovations, we bring you insights from industry leaders and academic pioneers. Are you ready to be part of the change? Join the conversation!

  1. 10h ago

    What's holding back South Africa's automotive decarbonisation?

    Is South Africa's automotive industry ready for Europe's carbon rules?The automotive sector makes up just over 5% of South Africa's GDP and supports around 500,000 jobs across its value chain. Most of the vehicles we export go to Europe, where carbon rules like the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) are changing what it takes to stay in that market.In this episode, Thokozile Zambane speaks to Reabetsoe Kgoedi, an environmental and sustainability project lead with more than a decade of experience in energy management. Her master's research at the African Energy Leadership Centre at Wits Business School looked at how automotive manufacturers in the Eastern Cape are working to decarbonise.They discuss what decarbonising a car manufacturer actually involves, why South Africa can't copy and paste the West's approach, how a coal-reliant and unstable grid shapes the transition, and why energy efficiency is the most affordable place to start. Reabetsoe also explains why industry, government and institutions need to work together, and why Africa's resources make continental collaboration an opportunity."The biggest injustice we can do to South Africa is to copy and paste what the West is doing into our context."Season 3 of Energy Conversations explores the move from policy to participation.📲 Follow Energy ConversationsLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/energy-convos Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/energyconvos/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@energy_convos WhatsApp channel: https://chat.whatsapp.com/D1vbrYBljik6v4QoF8VWEW Energy Conversations is produced by Kani Development Solutions and supported by the African Energy Leadership Centre at Wits Business School.#EnergyConversations #JustTransition #Decarbonisation #AutomotiveIndustry #CBAM #SouthAfrica

  2. 6d ago

    From the archives: How to win a tender in South Africa's energy sector

    Winning your first energy contract is only the start. You also need to know the rules well enough to use them.In this episode from our archive, Thokozile Zambane speaks to Barutile Unity Makofane, a former corporate procurement and contracts specialist who now runs her own battery and energy storage business. She has reviewed tenders from the inside and now bids for them from the outside.Barutile takes you from registering your business to managing a signed contract. She covers the compliance mistakes that get bids disqualified, why a B-BBEE certificate alone won't win you the work, how to price competitively against established players, and what to do in the first days after you're awarded a contract.This episode is for entrepreneurs, SMMEs and suppliers who want to take part in South Africa's energy sector.📲 Follow Energy ConversationsLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/energy-convos Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/energyconvos/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@energy_convos WhatsApp channel: https://chat.whatsapp.com/D1vbrYBljik6v4QoF8VWEW Subscribe for more conversations that take South African energy from policy to participation.#EnergyConversations #EnergyEntrepreneurs #Procurement #SMMEs #SouthAfrica

  3. Sep 22

    Take Up Your Space: A Powerhouse Woman's Guide to Building an Energy Career

    How do you build a 20-year career in the energy sector without ever planning to? For Lomile Modiselle, Director of Energy and Electricity Technical Services at the City of Tshwane, the answer is simple: find the gap, and fill it.In this episode of Energy Conversations - Careers, Lomile shares her remarkable journey. From dropping out of civil engineering due to lack of funds, to stumbling into electrical engineering at an FET college in Pretoria, to being scouted by companies before she even applied for an apprenticeship. Along the way, she earned two master's degrees and is now pursuing a law degree to better understand the contracts shaping South Africa's energy future.Lomile's story is a masterclass in intentional career-building: identifying what you don't know, going out to learn it, and refusing to be left behind as the sector transforms. Her message to young people — especially young women — is clear: master your technical skills, find your gap, take up your space, and never go without a mentor.Guest: Lomile Modiselle — Director of Energy and Electricity Technical Services, City of TshwaneHost: Thokozile Zambane Energy Conversations, Careers, goes behind the job titles to understand the different pathways into the energy sector, the choices people make along the way, and what others can learn from them.Powered by Kani Development Solutions and the African Energy Leadership Centre at the Wits Business School.

  4. Sep 15

    Are South Africa's municipal grids ready for the energy transition?

    Eskom generates South Africa's electricity, but it's the municipality that gets it into your kitchen, and that last mile is where the energy transition will actually be decided.   In this episode, Thokozile Zambane speaks to Lomile Modiselle, director of energy and electricity technical services at the City of Tshwane, about her Wits research into how municipalities in Gauteng are integrating renewable energy into ageing infrastructure. They get into what's actually holding progress back: siloed departments, a skills gap that isn't about wires but about translation, and a retention crisis nobody's talking about.  Follow Energy Conversations on LinkedIn, Instagram and Tiktok. Subscribe for more as we translate South Africa’s Just Energy Transition.   Energy Conversations is produced by Kani Development Solutions and supported by the African Energy Leadership Centre at the Wits Business School.

  5. Aug 24

    Energy Careers: Dr Phindile Masangane on building a career and a family in energy

    Dr Phindile Masangane's career has taken her from a chemistry lab in rural Eswatini to executive roles across South Africa's energy sector, and now to the Development Bank of Southern Africa.   In this episode of Energy Conversations, she walks through the real version of that journey: the opportunities she didn't plan for, building a career and a family at the same time, and what it actually takes to rise in an industry that's still overwhelmingly male. This isn't the LinkedIn version. It's the turns, the doubts, and the doors.

  6. Aug 4

    Inside the DBSA: The Bank Funding South Africa's Energy Future

    Every substation, wind farm, and power line in South Africa gets built because someone took on the risk first. In this episode of Energy Conversations, host Thokozile Zambane sits down with Dr. Phindile Masangane, Group Executive: Programs at the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA), to unpack how South Africa's energy infrastructure gets funded. Energy Conversations is powered by Kani Development Solutions and the African Energy Leadership Centre at Wits Business School. Also on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.#EnergyConversations #DBSA #JustEnergyTransition #SouthAfrica #WomenInEnergy

  7. Jul 14 ·  Bonus

    Listening to Lead: How Loyiso Tyabashe Rebuilt South Africa's Nuclear Energy Firm, Necsa

    Loyiso Tyabashe, Group CEO of Nexa (the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation), traces his path from a village outside Mthatha to leading one of South Africa's key energy institutions. He talks through the chance detour from automotive engineering into nuclear at Koeberg, the "nuclearisation" training that reshaped how he makes decisions, and the toughest transition of his life — not a professional setback, but adjusting to city life and a new language as a first-year engineering student. He also shares how listening to staff, not top-down strategy, turned Nexa's finances and governance around after 2021, and closes with advice for young people starting their own energy careers: stay disciplined, and don't be afraid to ask for help.What questions do you want answered this season? Share them in the comments. Energy Conversations is powered by Kani Development Solutions in partnership with the African Energy Leadership Centre at the Wits Business School. Where to find us: LinkedIn: energyconvosInstagram: energyconvosTikTok: energyconvos#EnergyConversations #Necsa #NuclearEnergy #SouthAfrica #Koeberg #EnergySector #CareerJourney #EnergyLeadership #NuclearPower #STEM #EngineeringCareers #WomenInEnergy #AfricaEnergy #EskomEskom #EasternCape #PowerSector #CleanEnergy #EnergyLeaders #CareerAdvice

  8. Jun 23

    The Skills South Africa Actually Needs for Nuclear, with Necsa's CEO

    Necsa Group CEO Loyiso Tyabashe says a nuclear plant's biggest workforce need isn't just physicists, it's artisans. In this episode, host Thokozile Zambane sits down with Tyabashe to unpack South Africa's nuclear roadmap: the revival of the PBMR, the IRP's 5,200MW target, and what it actually takes in skills, training and investment to get there. Covered in this episode: Why PBMR was taken out of care and maintenance, and what its move from Eskom to Necsa meansWhat a Small Modular Reactor is, and how it differs from KoebergThe skills South Africa has, and the ones it needs to rebuild or bring homeWhat success looks like for the programme over the next decadeEnergy Conversations is powered by Kani Development Solutions and the African Energy Leadership Centre at Wits Business School. Also on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. #NECSA #NuclearSA #SkillsDevelopment #EnergyConversations

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About

Powering Up South Africa: The Energy Conversations Podcast dives deep into the heart of South Africa's energy revolution. Hosted by seasonedz energy expert Thokozile Zambane and powered by the African Energy Leadership Centre at Wits Business School, this podcast platform decodes the complexities of our energy future. From policy shifts to groundbreaking innovations, we bring you insights from industry leaders and academic pioneers. Are you ready to be part of the change? Join the conversation!

Information

  • Creator
    Kani Development Solutions
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    74
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Kani Development Solutions
  • Show Website
    Energy Conversations Podcast

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