Ahead of the 2026 State of the Nation Address, Zero Carbon Charge (CHARGE) has again called on the President and national government to act decisively on South Africa’s electric vehicle (EV) transition — warning that continued inaction is actively undermining investment, energy security, and economic growth.

Despite more than three years of direct engagement ahead of successive SONAs, government has failed to articulate a credible plan for renewable-powered EV charging infrastructure or to provide practical steps toward an EV future. The result is a widening policy vacuum that threatens South Africa’s competitiveness in a rapidly electrifying global automotive market.

Industry has already sounded the alarm. Volkswagen South Africa and BMW South Africa have publicly warned that the country lacks clear policy direction and long-term planning for New Energy Vehicles. These warnings have gone unheeded.

CHARGE has repeatedly written to the President and the Minister of Trade and Industry seeking leadership, coordination, and support. The silence has been telling. It reflects a broader failure to treat the EV and energy transition as a national priority rather than a future talking point.

South Africa cannot claim to support EV adoption while ignoring the infrastructure required to sustain it. Grid-connected chargers are not a long-term solution in a country facing chronic electricity shortages. As EV uptake grows, grid-tied charging simply transfers pressure onto an already failing system. A credible transition requires charging infrastructure that generates and stores its own power — renewable, resilient, and independent of the grid.

CHARGE is developing 120 fully off-grid, solar-powered EV charging stations across South Africa — the first national network of its kind in the country and on the African continent. Beyond infrastructure, the project delivers direct socio-economic benefits, including income streams for landowners, education support, and job creation in rural and peri-urban areas.

Yet instead of enabling private investment, the project has faced persistent obstruction.

The South African National Roads Agency (SANRAL) has delayed regulatory feedback for more than 1 000 days and attempted to apply fuel-station tariffs to renewable-energy microgrids under the guise of “sweating assets.” This approach fundamentally misclassifies clean-energy infrastructure and sends a chilling signal to investors. The Minister of Transport has been formally notified multiple times and has failed to intervene.

The lack of leadership extends beyond transport. There has been no meaningful engagement from the Ministers responsible for Public Works and Infrastructure, Electricity, Agriculture, or Environmental Affairs — despite each portfolio standing to benefit directly from renewable EV infrastructure through improved energy security, rural development, emissions reduction, and climate resilience. To date, the only Cabinet-level support has come from Deputy Minister of Electricity Samantha Graham-Mare.

Commenting on this, co-founder of CHARGE, Joubert Roux, said: “CHARGE is calling for immediate, practical action, including lower EV import tariffs to stimulate market adoption, the removal of red tape blocking EV and renewable infrastructure, the reintroduction and extension of the S12BA tax incentive to include EV charging equipment, targeted funding for EV and energy skills development, and accountability for state entities that quietly obstruct the transition.”

Despite the absence of national government support, CHARGE’s first off-grid EV charging station is already operational on the N12, with two additional stations set to unlock the N3 corridor in May 2026 — made possible through investment from the Development Bank of Southern Africa.

“South Africa cannot continue to invite private investment while simultaneously obstructing the infrastructure required to grow the economy. If government is serious about industrialisation, energy security, and climate commitments, the EV transition cannot remain an afterthought in another SONA speech.” – Roux concluded.