South Africa had, in times past, by far the best transport infrastructure in Africa; however, declining road conditions, and freight and passenger rail, as well as port capacity shortages and inefficiencies, are now all proving to be a constraint on trade and economic growth. After contributing substantially to the country’s formative development, the rail sector has shown a downward trend for several decades, with a lack of adequate investment, poor management and theft and vandalism all impacting on performance. Meanwhile, the country’s major road corridors are, as a consequence, overly congested, and subjected to overloading, contributing to South Africa’s carbon emissions. The performance of its ports has also declined, compared with other ports on the continent and worldwide, with a recent World Bank analysis highlighting South Africa’s container ports as among the worst performers globally. Government plans to tackle the constraints are in the early stages. Creamer Media's ‘Road, Rail and Ports 2021/22: Towards more private-sector participation’ provides an overview of South Africa’s ongoing investment in road, rail and ports infrastructure, with a particular focus on the size and state of this infrastructure, and the funding and maintenance of these respective networks, as well as the challenges these sectors are facing.

The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the critical importance of the telecommunications industry, as the world relied on connected services to keep economies operating during intermittent lockdowns and restrictions throughout 2020 and 2021. Connectivity has become as essential as electricity and water, and some industry proponents argue that connectivity should be a basic human right, as Covid-19-related restrictions reveal a digital divide in access to universal and affordable connectivity services. South Africa’s own telecommunications industry has proven a critical enabler of connectivity on an unprecedented scale: it kept businesses operating by enabling employees to work from home, connected families that were separated, enabled home-schooling for students and facilitated the continuity of daily life as people turned to their computers and smartphones to substitute their in-person activities online. The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa believes that some of this newly developed reliance may continue in the “new normal” or at least until the emergence of a long-term solution, such as universally adopted vaccines, making ongoing access to reliable digital infrastructure for telework, telemedicine, food delivery and logistics, online and contactless payments, remote learning and entertainment all the more urgent. Creamer Media’s ‘Telecommunications 2021: A changing landscape’ report considers the evolution of South Africa’s telecommunications market, the companies operating in it, the new technologies they are adopting, as well as the challenges they are facing, such as spectrum and data costs, in this constantly evolving landscape.

Creamer Media's Energy Roundup is a monthly report providing a synopsis of energy-related news from South Africa. The November 2021 roundup covers activities in October 2021 and includes details of State-owned electricity utility Eskom’s reliability maintenance recovery programme; Eskom’s joint venture with coal miners Exxaro and Seriti Resources to develop renewable-energy projects; and the growing constraints on South Africa’s power grid, which could precipitate a crisis similar to the one experienced in 2008.

The Paris Agreement, which is a legally binding international treaty on climate change, outlines ambitious goals of limiting global warming to below 2 °C above preindustrial era levels while pursuing efforts to limit the increase to 1.5 °C by reducing carbon dioxide emissions worldwide. Some countries have been raising their commitments as intended, with ambitious objectives set by the European Union (EU), the UK and Japan, besides others. Nonetheless, the world is likely on course to warm by about 2.5 °C by the end of the century, according to research and consultancy group Wood Mackenzie. Many countries are not on track for net zero by 2050 and governments still have much work to do to clarify their strategies for reaching their respective objectives. South Africa’s Presidential Climate Change Coordinating Commission has published recommendations for a carbon-reduction commitment and has confirmed a long-term target for achieving net-zero carbon emissions by this date. Yet, South Africa is unlikely to reach the net-zero emissions target by 2050. Its economy – and energy system – is one of the most coal-dependent in the world and government’s plans still allow for a significant amount of coal in the future power mix. This is despite the country’s complementary wind and solar resources being among the best renewable-energy resources in the world, available on vast amounts tracts of unused land. Creamer Media’s ‘COP26: Advancing South Africa’s just energy transition’ considers the challenges that the world and, in particular, South Africa are facing with regard to reaching their climate-change mitigation goals. The report considers South Africa’s Nationally Determined Contribution; the country’s reliance on coal and the its converse potential it has as a preferred global destination for foreign and domestic decarbonisation investment while ensuring a just transition; South Africa’s renewables capability; and the consequences of delaying climate action.

Creamer Media's Energy Roundup is a monthly report providing a synopsis of energy-related news from South Africa. The October 2021 roundup covers activities in September 2021 and includes details of State-owned power utility Eskom’s Renewable Energy Tariff pilot programme to assist businesses that have corporate renewable-energy commitments; the National Energy Regulator of South Africa’s rejection of Eskom’s fifth multiyear price determination application for the three financial years from 2022/23 to 2024/25; and local renewable-energy supplier Suntech Solar Power South Africa’s launch of proceedings in the High Court seeking to interdict and set aside the “selective and unlawful” exemptions granted by the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition in respect of the current round of the Risk Mitigation Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme.

Energy, freight transport, water and digital infrastructure have been identified in South Africa’s draft National Infrastructure Plan 2050, as the four critical network sectors that should receive priority over the next 30 years. These basic building blocks for economic development and progress will, no doubt, remain central in the final plan too. In all four areas, there is significant pent-up demand. Without sufficient electricity, it is more expensive to build new mines and mineral processing plants. Without water security, agricultural investment is stymied. Without sufficient ports, rail and roads, entire manufacturing value chains grind to a halt. Without digital infrastructure, the communication, coordination and marketing becomes challenging for all businesses. Absent these supply-side building blocks, the pipeline of other growth-enhancing and job-generating projects, big and small, will remain insufficient to position South Africa to tackle its deep-seated problems of widespread poverty, rising unemployment and extreme inequality. Indeed, there are also infrastructure needs in many areas beyond these four priority sectors. Nevertheless, progress in these areas will go some way towards opening up investment in other infrastructure segments, as well as in the productive sectors of farming, mining and manufacturing.

Creamer Media's Energy Roundup is a monthly report providing a synopsis of energy-related news from South Africa. The September 2021 roundup covers activities in August 2021 and includes details of the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy’s updated timetable for the implementation of its long-term electricity procurement programmes; the explosion at Unit 4 of State-owned power utility Eskom’s Medupi coal-fired power station on August 9; and the National Energy Regulator of South Africa’s intent to treat sub-100 MW registration as an ‘administrative’ process.

Creamer Media’s Real Economy Year Book has been divided into separate reports under the banner Real Economy Insight, and investigates key developments in the automotive, construction, electricity, oil and gas, road and rail, steel, water, manufacturing, pumps, coal, gold, iron-ore and platinum sectors. This six-page brief is a synopsis of key developments in the coal sector over the past 12 months. It provides an overview of South Africa’s coal market, coal exports and touches on whether South Africa is approaching a “coal cliff”. It also delves into coal companies’ broader energy ambitions and the goal of a cleaner energy future.

Creamer Media’s Real Economy Year Book has been divided into separate reports under the banner Real Economy Insight, and investigates key developments in the automotive, construction, electricity, oil and gas, road and rail, steel, water, manufacturing, pumps, coal, gold, iron-ore and platinum sectors. This six-page brief is a synopsis of key developments in the water sector over the past 12 months. It explains South Africa’s dire water situation in terms of supply and demand, water quality, and how a shortage of technical skills is impacting on water infrastructure.

Creamer Media’s Real Economy Year Book has been divided into separate reports under the banner Real Economy Insight, and investigates key developments in the automotive, construction, electricity, oil and gas, road and rail, steel, water, manufacturing, pumps, coal, gold, iron-ore and platinum sectors. This four-page brief is a synopsis of key developments in the road and rail sector over the past 12 months. It provides an overview of South Africa’s ailing road, and commuter and freight rail sectors.