Deputy Minister Nomalungelo Gina: Uyilo e-Mobility Summit 2026

Programme Director,

Cllr Babalwa Lobishe: Executive Mayor Nelson Mandela Bay Local Municipality

Prof Sibongile Muthwa: Vice-Chancellor Nelson Mandela University

Professor Azwindini Muronga, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research, Innovation and Internationalisation, Nelson Mandela University;

Dr Andrew de Vries, Director of the uYilo e-Mobility Programme;

Representatives from National, Provincial and Local Government;

Representatives from the Department of Transport;

Representatives from the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition;

Representatives from the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources;

Representatives from the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment

Representatives from the Department of Electricity and Energy

Representatives from State-Owned Entities;

Representatives from Industry and Academia;

Members of the Media;

Distinguished Guests;

Ladies and Gentlemen,

 

Good morning.

 

It is an honour to join you at the uYilo e-Mobility Summit 2026, a vital platform for shaping South Africa’s role in the future of sustainable transport. I wish to thank Nelson Mandela University, the uYilo e-Mobility Programme, the Technology Innovation Agency and all partners who have made this gathering possible. By bringing together government, industry, academia, utilities, innovators and investors, this Summit gives practical expression to the partnerships required to build a greener, more competitive and more inclusive economy.

 

This Summit takes place during Women’s Month, when we honour the courageous women of 1956 and recommit ourselves to justice, equality and human dignity. The theme, “Empowered Women Empower the Nation”, is a timely reminder that the green transition must also be a just transition. Electric mobility must therefore open pathways for women, young people and historically disadvantaged communities to participate meaningfully in science, technology, innovation and industry.
 

Across the world, electric mobility is no longer a distant prospect. It is becoming a defining feature of modern industrial strategy, energy security and climate action. Governments and industries are investing in electric vehicles, battery technologies, intelligent transport systems and charging infrastructure because these technologies will determine competitiveness in the decades ahead. South Africa must not approach this transition as a consumer of imported solutions only; we must participate as innovators, manufacturers and exporters within new green value chains.

 

The central question before us is therefore not whether electric mobility will happen. It is whether South Africa will capture value from it. Our answer must be clear. We must use our mineral endowment, research capability, industrial base and policy instruments to build local capacity across the battery and e-mobility value chains. This requires coordinated action across government, industry and the research community, including work already underway through the Green Transport Strategy, the Electric Vehicle White Paper and the Critical Minerals Strategy.

 

For the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation, the green transition rests on two strategic pillars: the hydrogen economy and the battery economy. Through the Energy Storage Research, Development and Innovation Programme, established in 2011, we are supporting the development of South African intellectual property, skills and technologies that can anchor a local battery industry. Working with institutions such as the University of Limpopo, the CSIR, the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation, the University of the Western Cape, Wits University and Nelson Mandela University, we are strengthening capabilities in mineral beneficiation, battery materials, assembly, testing and validation.

 

Infrastructure remains a critical enabler. Charging networks must expand along key transport corridors and within our cities if we are to build consumer confidence and make electric mobility practical for more South Africans. In this regard, the Department’s partnership with SANEDI, the uYilo e-Mobility Programme and Volvo Cars South Africa on the e-Mobility Energy Drive has provided valuable evidence on vehicle performance, charging efficiency and user experience across provinces. Such initiatives help us move from aspiration to implementation.

 

We also recognise that innovation thrives through strong partnerships. Our recent study tour to China, focused on advanced battery chemistries, energy storage systems and electric mobility technologies, has opened opportunities for collaboration in research, postgraduate training, student exchanges and industry partnerships. These relationships are important because South Africa’s competitiveness will depend on how quickly we can learn, adapt, commercialise and scale.

Our task now is to align these strengths behind a national mission: to convert innovation into industrial participation, investment, jobs and inclusive growth.

 

South Africa has many of the ingredients required for success: critical minerals, capable universities and science councils, innovative entrepreneurs, an automotive industrial base and growing policy certainty. Since 2024, the uYilo e-Mobility Summit hosted by Nelson Mandela University has evolved from a platform focused on strengthening South Africa's e-mobility value chain to one driving practical implementation of electric mobility solutions. 

 

The 2024 Summit focused on sustainable development through value chain enhancement; the 2025 Summit advanced industrialisation, localisation and real-world Electric Vehicles demonstrations through the e-Mobility Energy Drive; while the 2026 Summit has shifted towards accelerating implementation, industrial participation and coordinated government and industry action to support South Africa's transition to electric mobility.

 

Our Department, through the Energy Storage RDI Programme, has supported a strategic collaboration between the University of Limpopo and Manganese Metal Company (MMC) to develop battery-grade manganese sulphate (MnSO₄) from locally available manganese resources. The partnership has successfully demonstrated pilot-scale production of battery-grade MnSO₄ and is advancing the synthesis of manganese-rich cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries. This initiative supports South Africa's mineral beneficiation agenda by converting manganese ore into higher-value battery materials, thereby strengthening local participation in the global battery value chain while supporting energy storage and electric mobility industrialisation.

 

The Energy Storage RDI Flagship Programme, implemented through the University of the Western Cape, Nelson Mandela University and the University of Limpopo in partnership with EWSETA and industry partners, provides a 12-month training programme for unemployed TVET and University of Technology graduates. The programme supports skills development across the lithium-ion battery value chain, including battery precursor materials, assembly, testing and integration. The graduate absorption rate into industry exceeds 70%, with trainees securing opportunities at companies such as First Battery, Toyota, Mercedes-Benz, Aspen and other industrial partners. We commend this work.
 

As I conclude, I reaffirm government’s commitment to supporting science, technology and innovation as drivers of industrial development and economic transformation. Let us use this Summit to move with urgency, discipline and shared purpose. Together, we can accelerate electric mobility, expand local manufacturing, create quality jobs and position South Africa as a leader in Africa’s green industrial revolution.
 

I wish you fruitful deliberations and every success for the Summit.

 

I thank you.