Rural Energy Poverty: An Investigation into Socioeconomic Drivers and Implications for Off-Grid Households in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa
Summary. This study examines energy poverty among off-grid households in South Africa's Eastern Cape Province, identifying key socioeconomic drivers. Female-headed households face greater vulnerability to energy poverty, while larger households experience less. Education alone does not improve energy access due to infrastructure gaps. Social grant dependency correlates strongly with energy poverty. The research calls for gender-responsive policies addressing both infrastructure and socioeconomic barriers to energy access in rural areas.
Cite this article
Lesala, M. E., Mukumba, P., & Obileke, K.. (2025). Rural Energy Poverty: An Investigation into Socioeconomic Drivers and Implications for Off-Grid Households in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. Economies. https://doi.org/10.3390/economies13050128
Lesala, Mahali Elizabeth, et al. “Rural Energy Poverty: An Investigation into Socioeconomic Drivers and Implications for Off-Grid Households in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa.” Economies, 2025. https://doi.org/10.3390/economies13050128.
Lesala, Mahali Elizabeth, Patrick Mukumba, and KeChrist Obileke. 2025. “Rural Energy Poverty: An Investigation into Socioeconomic Drivers and Implications for Off-Grid Households in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa.” Economies. https://doi.org/10.3390/economies13050128.
@article{lesala-2025-rural-energy-poverty-investigation-socioeconomic,
title = {Rural Energy Poverty: An Investigation into Socioeconomic Drivers and Implications for Off-Grid Households in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa},
author = {Mahali Elizabeth Lesala and Patrick Mukumba and KeChrist Obileke},
journal = {Economies},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.3390/economies13050128},
url = {https://doi.org/10.3390/economies13050128}
}
TY - JOUR TI - Rural Energy Poverty: An Investigation into Socioeconomic Drivers and Implications for Off-Grid Households in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa AU - Mahali Elizabeth Lesala AU - Patrick Mukumba AU - KeChrist Obileke JO - Economies PY - 2025 DO - 10.3390/economies13050128 UR - https://doi.org/10.3390/economies13050128 ER -
Details
- DOI
- 10.3390/economies13050128
- Countries
- South Africa
- Regions
- Africa
- Categories
- energy, policy, climate-and-environment
- Added
- 2026-04-28