Historical path dependencies and energy governance in post-Apartheid South Africa

The sustainable development of South Africa is hindered by an energy sector reliant on coal and hindered by economic and social inequalities. Both characteristics are rooted in the beginning of Southern African electrification. This chapter relies on secondary literature to explore how the South African energy sector followed a path that lead to the formation of technological and institutional rigidities that weakened its capacity to contribute in a more positive way to the country’s sustainable development. Furthermore, the chapter makes use of contemporary press to consider how those paths were chosen and perceived at the time when they were undertaken.