Communities Mobilise to Draw the Line Against Corruption, EnergyInjustice, and Corporate Capture
For Immediate Release: 15 September, 2025
Johannesburg, South Africa—On Monday, 18 September, civil society organisations and
local communities in Gauteng Province will march to the City of Johannesburg’s Mayor’s
Office in Braamfontein as part of the global Draw the Line mobilisations, demanding real
solutions to the energy and climate crisis. This comes as South Africans face sharp
electricity price increases amidst a dire cost-of-living crisis that is pushing many
working-class and poor households to the brink. According to the Council for Scientific and
Industrial Research (CSIR), electricity tariffs have surged by approximately 237% over the
past decade, far outpacing inflation.
As disasters worsen from climate change, the window for a just transition away from coal
and gas to renewable energy is closing rapidly. Studies show solar and wind power in South
Africa are about 40% cheaper than new coal-fired power, presenting us with a cleaner, more
affordable electricity future.
The mobilisation will call out rampant government corruption, national austerity, and
corporate control, which remain the bottlenecks in South Africa’s just transition. Communities
are demanding clean, affordable, accessible, community-owned energy. Since 2020,
municipalities have been allowed to develop or buy their own renewable power, but this must
be guided by local Integrated Development Plans (IDPs), which are meant to reflect people’s
needs. If municipalities follow their IDPs correctly, they should be investing in renewable
energy that brings reliable and affordable power to communities, not pouring billions into
systems that only benefit a few.
Communities demand that local governments include Socially Owned Renewable Energy
(SORE), skills training, and decent green jobs explicitly in their Integrated Development
Plans (IDPs). The Joint Letter, which underscores these demands, can be accessed here.
Simphiwe Zwane, Organiser, Thembelihle Crisis Committee:
As the Thembelihle Crisis Committee, we are joining the People’s Power march because of
the energy and water crises we are experiencing in our community. Living in an informal
settlement where service delivery is very poor, without basic services and in a difficult
environment, we feel the impacts of climate change every day.
Tshidiso Monare, Chairman, West Rand Community Association:
We express deep disappointment and concern over the Rand West City Municipality’s
Integrated Development Plan (IDP) process, which has woefully failed to address the most
pressing needs of our community. The Municipality’s IDP fails to address urgent crises, from
water and energy shortages to collapsing infrastructure, youth unemployment, and climate
justice. We call on the municipality to revisit its plan and prioritise real solutions that serve
communities, not deepen inequality.
This mobilisation will unite local communities, grassroots movements, and civil society
organisations in a worldwide week of Draw the Line actions, from Tokyo to Nairobi, Türkiye
to Belém, Johannesburg to New York, organised by 350.org, the Climate Justice Coalition
and partner organisations.
Location: 1179 Civic Boulevard, Braamfontein, City of Johannesburg
Date: Thursday, 18 September 2025
Time: 9:00 A.M.
About Draw The Line:
The Draw the Line campaign is a global movement calling for urgent action on the climate
crisis and a just transition that centres people, not profit. In South Africa, groups are
mobilising during the national week of action to demand people’s power in local government
and energy planning.
Media Contact:
Boitumelo Masipa
350Africa.org
tumi@350.org
+27 81 452 9096
Shaazia Ebrahim
Climate Justice Coalition
shaazia.ebrahim@350.org
+27 83 320 2255