MCF Seminar Series: Unraveling Repair and Ownership in South Africa's Electricity System

About This Event
This presentation delves into the intricate dynamics of electricity access, community ownership, and social relations in South Africa, drawing on research conducted in Winterveld, a town on the northwestern border of Gauteng Province. It sheds light on the various historical, social, and economic factors shaping the region's electricity landscape.

Focusing on the challenge of repair, the presentation examines the complexities of maintaining electricity services amidst financial constraints and social tensions. It explores the emergence of community-owned initiatives as potential solutions to address historical injustices, while also acknowledging the intricate dynamics of accountability and enforcement they create. By amplifying the perspectives of local residents, the presentation prompts reflection on the broader implications of repairing and reimagining electricity infrastructure in the Global South in the face of a climate-changed future.

Critical questions are raised about the role of community ownership, the equitable redistribution of electricity resources, and the decolonization of infrastructure frameworks. Emphasizing the need for a paradigm shift towards techno-social solutions, the presentation argues for approaches that address not only material needs but also the complex relational dynamics within communities.

About the Speaker
Eileen Jahn is currently a Ph.D. candidate at the Bayreuth International Graduate School of African Studies (BIGSAS) and a research associate at the Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology, Chair of Epistemologies of the Global South, University of Bayreuth, Germany. Her research on South Africa's electricity crisis focuses on the lived experiences of underserved and precariously connected urban residents at the margins. Her research explores (mis)trust in democratization, unfulfilled promises in South Africa's transition, and decolonial energy imaginaries.