Cape Town is often praised for having one of South Africa’s most progressive residential solar programmes, but the rollout has not been without controversy. Kadri Nassiep, Executive Director of City Electricity at the City of Cape Town, speaks to John Maytham about the City’s approach to encouraging solar uptake. Households can benefit from incentives including cash or bill credits for excess power fed back into the grid and the City has paid millions to residents for their contributions. Some administration fees have been reduced to make solar adoption easier. However, critics argue that additional costs such as feed-in meters and fixed infrastructure charges make participation complicated and expensive, particularly for middle-income households, high-value properties, and those using less municipal electricity. More than 14 000 objections and petitions have been lodged against the City’s tariff structures, with residents saying that fixed charges disproportionately affect disposable income. The City maintains that charges are necessary to cover the cost of pipes, cables, and staff, even as more households generate their own power, highlighting the tension between supporting renewable energy and maintaining municipal infrastructure funding.

Presenter John Maytham is an actor and author-turned-talk radio veteran and seasoned journalist. His show serves a round-up of local and international news coupled with the latest in business, sport, traffic and weather. The host’s eclectic interests mean the program often surprises the audience with intriguing book reviews and inspiring interviews profiling artists. 

A daily highlight is Rapid Fire, just after 5:30pm. CapeTalk fans call in, to stump the presenter with their general knowledge questions. Another firm favourite is the humorous Thursday crossing with award-winning journalist Rebecca Davis, called “Plan B”. 

Thank you for listening to a podcast from Afternoon Drive with John Maytham 

Listen live on Primedia+ weekdays from 15:00 and 18:00 (SA Time) to Afternoon Drive with John Maytham broadcast on CapeTalk https://buff.ly/NnFM3Nk 

For more from the show go to https://buff.ly/BSFy4Cn or find all the catch-up podcasts here https://buff.ly/n8nWt4x 

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Cape Town is often praised for having one of South Africa&rsquo;s most progressive residential solar programmes, but the rollout has not been without controversy. Kadri Nassiep, Executive Director of City Electricity at the City of Cape Town, speaks to John Maytham about the City&rsquo;s approach to encouraging solar uptake. Households can benefit from incentives including cash or bill credits for excess power fed back into the grid and the City has paid millions to residents for their contributions. Some administration fees have been reduced to make solar adoption easier. However, critics argue that additional costs such as feed-in meters and fixed infrastructure charges make participation complicated and expensive, particularly for middle-income households, high-value properties, and those using less municipal electricity. More than 14 000 objections and petitions have been lodged against the City&rsquo;s tariff structures, with residents saying that fixed charges disproportionately affect disposable income. The City maintains that charges are necessary to cover the cost of pipes, cables, and staff, even as more households generate their own power, highlighting the tension between supporting renewable energy and maintaining municipal infrastructure funding.
Presenter John Maytham is an actor and author-turned-talk radio veteran and seasoned journalist. His show serves a round-up of local and international news coupled with the latest in business, sport, traffic and weather. The host&rsquo;s eclectic interests mean the program often surprises the audience with intriguing book reviews and inspiring interviews profiling artists.&nbsp;
A daily highlight is Rapid Fire, just after 5:30pm. CapeTalk fans call in, to stump the presenter with their general knowledge questions. Another firm favourite is the humorous Thursday crossing with award-winning journalist Rebecca Davis, called &ldquo;Plan B&rdquo;.&nbsp;
Thank you for listening to a podcast from Afternoon Drive with John Maytham&nbsp;
Listen live on Primedia+ weekdays from 15:00 and 18:00 (SA Time) to Afternoon Drive with John Maytham broadcast on CapeTalk <a href="https://buff.ly/NnFM3Nk">https://buff.ly/NnFM3Nk</a>&nbsp;
For more from the show go to <a href="https://buff.ly/BSFy4Cn">https://buff.ly/BSFy4Cn</a> or find all the catch-up podcasts here <a href="https://buff.ly/n8nWt4x">https://buff.ly/n8nWt4x</a>&nbsp;
Subscribe to the CapeTalk Daily and Weekly Newsletters <a href="https://buff.ly/sbvVZD5">https://buff.ly/sbvVZD5</a>&nbsp; &nbsp; Follow us on social media:&nbsp; &nbsp; CapeTalk on Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/CapeTalk">https://www.facebook.com/CapeTalk</a>&nbsp; CapeTalk on TikTok: <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@capetalk">https://www.tiktok.com/@capetalk</a>&nbsp; CapeTalk on Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/">https://www.instagram.com/</a>&nbsp; CapeTalk on X: <a href="https://x.com/CapeTalk">https://x.com/CapeTalk</a>&nbsp; CapeTalk on YouTube: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@CapeTalk567">https://www.youtube.com/@CapeTalk567</a>&nbsp;

John Maytham is a trained actor who made the switch to radio over 20 years ago when he joined the news team at Radio 604.

He then swapped reporting for anchoring an AM drive time show at a national talk radio station.

Once he set the bar for South African news and talk radio he accepted the challenge to join Primedia Broadcasting and help establish the newly founded CapeTalk, fulfilling the role of both News Editor and Breakfast Host.

He was the first host to switch on the mic on 14 October 1997.

Years later, he was also the first radio broadcaster to do a Google Hangout in South Africa.

Afternoon Drive with John Maytham

Solar support with strings attached: City of Cape Town faces criticism over renewable energy levies

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/5dcefa8e-00a9-4595-8ce1-a4ab0080f142/clips/832c5198-1066-48a9-846c-b3ed00df1148/transcript