Civil rights organisation AfriForum has launched its #MyPower campaign following President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement that businesses and households will be allowed to install solar power with no licensing threshold and feed excess power into the grid.

The campaign is asking for a mandate that AfriForum and its service company Pionier can negotiate on behalf of households and businesses with the newly established National Energy Crisis Committee, as well as with the National Energy Regulator of South Africa on regulations for private power generation, sales to the power grid and tariffs.

“It is critically important to fully open the gap for private power generation and delivery that has just opened so that South Africa can be freed from the grip of the ongoing energy crisis.

“For that, the government has finally realised that more private power generation is needed. Households and businesses will play a key role in making communities energy independent again,” notes AfriForum community development head Johan Kruger.

AfriForum, Pionier and various capital partners are already working on reliable and affordable energy solutions for households and small businesses, as well as on large-scale delivery of power as an independent power producer.

With the #MyPower platform, AfriForum creates the opportunity for individuals and businesses to gain a trusted liaison with the energy authorities, obtain continuous information about the progress of the power plan’s processes, as well as information about the process of registration for sales to the network when it is established.

Simultaneously, AfriForum creates the opportunity for accredited service providers to provide their details to Pionier for future use.

AfriForum has called on its members and the public to pull together in this important campaign. “Now is the time to take full advantage of negotiations and liaison opportunities with the Energy Crisis Committee, so that real reform of the energy order can begin,” says Kruger.