Understanding energy justice through lived experiences in Zimbabwe

Bentley, Margaret

Abstract

The study aims to understand energy justice through the lived experiences
of householders from Harare Metropolitan Province. In addition, the study
further explores the energy services and drivers of energy poverty rarely
accounted for within energy poverty indicators in Zimbabwean settings
and Africa as a whole. The study addresses this gap in knowledge by
exploring the underlying mechanism and implementation of Zimbabwe's
renewable energy and energy policies, which govern energy supply and
demand.
The study adopted a mixed methodological approach using semi-
structured interviews, householders’ self-recorded videos and surveys, to
characterise the socio-economic and cultural challenges experienced by
Harare Metropolitan Province communities affected by energy poverty
and energy insecurities. The study utilises data from 99 online householder
survey responses, and householders recorded 27 short video clips. In
addition, 13 semi-structured interviews with householders and nine semi-
structured interviews with stakeholders were conducted. The research
presents insights into limiting factors towards effective communication
between energy company and communities such as disengagement
and lack of trust between energy consumers and suppliers when
accessing fuel sources. The energy sector monopoly and poorly
maintained energy plants were also noted as factors contributing to
energy poverty and causing energy-related public health issues such as
poor sanitation and physical and psychological health issues. The study
highlights the importance of spatial perspectives when considering
implementing clean energy access. The study also contributes to the
crucial knowledge to understanding the unique contextual differences in
energy poverty and energy insecurities and behaviours. The research
recommends that the government implement policies that advocate for
a fair, collaborative, sustainable, clean energy system

Citation

Bentley, M. (2023). Understanding energy justice through lived experiences in Zimbabwe. (Thesis). University of Salford

• Thesis Type: Thesis
• Deposit Date: Nov 4, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 9, 2024
• Award Date: Dec 8, 2023