2020

Sakhil’umuzi Ngcongwane was awarded the 2020 DBREV scholarship to further his studies in Renewable Energy.

Sakhil’umuzi was accepted by Wits to study towards a Master of Management in Energy Leadership with the intention to focus on the financing of renewable energy for peri-urban micro-enterprises. This will be a natural extension of his studies into the use of solar PV for container-based micro enterprises in the township of Phumula in Ekurhuleni, Gauteng.  His focus is on energy access for the poor in peri-urban settings, where they are sandwiched in an inconvenient middle – enjoying close proximity to the large-scale grid infrastructure but being too poor to afford the cost of grid independence and too informal to access reasonable financing that would enable them to adopt renewable energy for commercial purposes in the township. He has had the intention to enrol in a Masters programme since completing his Honours degree and was accepted on two occasions (MEng at Stellenbosch University in 2017 and MM at Wits Business School in 2018) however due to financial constraints he could not pursue either of these. We are delighted that the DBREV Scholarship could afford him the opportunity to fulfil his study goals and equip himself to make an impact on the energy sector.

Educated at Bishop Bavin school in Gauteng, Muzi achieved half colours for both soccer and swimming before going on to obtain his BSc (Hons) in Energy Studies from the University of Johannesburg.