Introducing Electric Vehicles to Southern Africa: A Systemic Innovation Approach Towards a Green New Deal

This policy briefing by the South African Institute of International Affairs argues that the electric vehicle (EV) revolution presents Southern African states with an opportunity to transform their economic trajectories through a systemic innovation approach. It advocates for a 'just e-volution' that integrates the mining, automotive, and energy sectors to move toward a low-carbon economy, specifically suggesting a 'Green New Deal' for the SADC region to avoid becoming a dumping ground for obsolete internal combustion engine technology.

• South Africa has seen very low adoption of electric vehicles compared to global trends; in 2018, only 369 out of 512,217 new cars sold were Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) or Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs), representing 0.2% of total sales.
• South Africa is a significant global emitter of greenhouse gases, ranking as the world's 14th largest emitter and accounting for 7.1% of global GHGs. Major contributors include Sasol's Secunda petrochemical facility, the world's single largest source of Greenhouse Gas Emissions, and the Kriel coal-fired plant, the world's second-largest hotspot of sulfur dioxide emissions.
• The SADC region possesses significant reserves of minerals essential for battery supply chains, including cobalt, copper, graphite, lithium, manganese, nickel, and vanadium, but many member states lack the governance, capital, or resources to systematically benefit from these assets.
• The document proposes using blockchain technology to create an ethical and sustainable battery supply chain in SADC. This would allow for the authentication of mineral routes to market, ensure better prices for miners, and provide a transparent solution for tracking recycled end-of-life batteries.
• To support e-Mobility, the authors recommend building decentralised energy grids and distribution institutions. They highlight Eskom's solar-powered microgrid pilot at Wilhelmina Farm in the Free State as a 'seed' for this transition.
• The briefing suggests that SADC governments should lead the transition by electrifying government fleets and supporting electric taxi and bus networks. It identifies 'Pay as You Save' (PAYS) as an innovative financing approach to reduce the high upfront capital costs of electric buses.
• The authors advocate for a regional 'Green New Deal' for the SADC region to foster cooperation and a shared developmental vision, preventing the region from becoming a 'dumping ground' for old internal combustion engine (ICE) technology or holding stranded coal assets.

APA

Cloete, D., Grobbelaar, N., & Bertelsmann-Scott, T. (2019). Introducing Electric Vehicles to Southern Africa: A Systemic Innovation Approach Towards a Green New Deal. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Policy-Briefing-Futures-cloete-et-al.pdf

Chicago

Cloete, Deon, Neuma Grobbelaar, and Talitha Bertelsmann-Scott. Introducing Electric Vehicles to Southern Africa: A Systemic Innovation Approach Towards a Green New Deal. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2019. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Policy-Briefing-Futures-cloete-et-al.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Cloete |first1=Deon |last2=Grobbelaar |first2=Neuma |last3=Bertelsmann-Scott |first3=Talitha |title=Introducing Electric Vehicles to Southern Africa: A Systemic Innovation Approach Towards a Green New Deal |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=December 2019 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Policy-Briefing-Futures-cloete-et-al.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{cloete2019introducing, author = {Cloete, Deon and Grobbelaar, Neuma and Bertelsmann-Scott, Talitha}, title = {{Introducing Electric Vehicles to Southern Africa: A Systemic Innovation Approach Towards a Green New Deal}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2019}, month = dec, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Policy-Briefing-Futures-cloete-et-al.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }