SA launches clean cooking Project to tackle harmful household pollution

image: Best Duty

by Kelebogile Matlou

The Department of Electricity and Energy is gearing up to launch a legacy project aimed at transforming the way millions of Africans cook. Announced during the department’s third Energy Transition working group meeting in Sun City, this initiative forms part of South Africa’s commitment to the G20 Clean Cooking Outcome, which seeks to drive investment into clean cooking technologies and Just Energy Transition programmes.

The urgency of this shift is highlighted by sobering statistics from the International Energy Agency: nearly 80% of African families continue to rely on harmful fuels such as wood, charcoal, and dung for daily cooking. These methods, often used over open fires or rudimentary stoves, are responsible for more than 800,000 premature deaths annually, primarily due to indoor air pollution.

In rural communities like Matsatseng Village, located 30 kilometres from Mahikeng, access to electricity remains a distant dream. Resident Karlina Nabe shared how open-fire cooking has impacted her health.
“Yes, we grew up cooking on the bonfire, but we need better ways of cooking. We need government to help us with electricity. We can’t grow up and die using these methods of cooking. I used to have great eyesight but now my eyes are always itching. I can’t even see when I write,” she said.

Deputy Minister of Electricity and Energy, Samantha Graham-Maré, acknowledged the tough choices many families are forced to make.
“What we’re finding now is that with the cost of electricity going up, people are now having to make choices. Do I buy food, do I buy electricity? So with that happening, they are now resorting to alternative methods of cooking and that is creating a harmful environment for women, particularly, and for children,” said Samantha Graham-Maré.

She added that across Africa, approximately 500,000 women and children die each year due to toxins from cooking fuels. The department’s new project aims to change this by offering alternative, affordable energy solutions that do not depend on conventional electricity. The push for clean cooking is not only about modernising energy use it is a matter of public health, safety, and dignity for millions across the continent.