FEDHASA Cape hosted the inaugural ‘Talking Energy with FEDHASA’ Summit on March 3, 2023, using FEDHASA 2.0’s Coaching, Collaboration, and Commercialisation approach. Experts gathered at FNB Portside in Cape Town to discuss how loadshedding has affected the hospitality industry and strategies to alleviate it.
Lee-Anne Singer, FEDHASA Cape Chairperson, emphasised how South Africa’s hospitality industry and economy are vulnerable to energy insecurity, hindering tourism revenue as the sector recovers from Covid-19. In 2022, there were over 192,000 power cuts, resulting in job losses and business closures, particularly in hospitality. In January 2023, 81 businesses went into liquidation, 13 of which were from the hospitality industry, while the unemployment rate remains high at 32.7%.
FEDHASA thanks participants for the lively panel discussions on the current state of affairs affecting the hospitality industry. The topics, including ‘Talking Energy’ and ‘Switching On Alternative Energy Solutions’, sparked animated conversations among panel members with varying perspectives.
Giving power back to the hospitality industry
The Western Cape government’s Municipal Energy Resilience initiative, presented by Provincial Minister Mireille Wenger, is promising. It seeks to empower municipalities, businesses, and households to produce and trade power with the provincial grid. This effort aims to minimise the impact of loadshedding, including on the hospitality sector.
Read the minister’s full address here.
The summit highlighted that more needs to be done to address the energy crisis in South Africa. It’s time for urgent action to ensure that businesses can operate efficiently and contribute to the growth of the economy. We need to remove all barriers that stand in our way and work together to find sustainable solutions to the energy crisis.
Upcoming industry events
The Solar Show Africa 2023: 25 – 26 April 2023, Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg
Register for free!
Thanks to our sponsors and service providers:
- Patrick King Photography Instagram: @kinghotelphoto, LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/patrickking1
Resources: Funding alternative energy solutions
- ABSA loadshedding solutions finance calculator
- Department of Economic Development and Tourism: Re-ignite Tourism Support Programmes
- Green Energy Fund and Renewable Energy Projects
- Green Tourism Incentive Programme (GTIP)
- Western Cape Government Red Tape Reduction
- Sanlam Alternative Investments – Growing A Green Economy
- Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA)
