Energy is an essential driving force behind industrial activities and other sectors of economic
development across the globe. The South African energy sector has historically been at the
centre of the country’s development. The origin of energy industry in the first years of the
twentieth century was driven mostly by the needs of a booming mining sector. It was a critical
ingredient of major investment in mining. As manufacturing became more important in the
economy than mining and agriculture, the energy sector continued to be one of the drivers of
the South African economy (Winkler, 2009).