South Africa’s State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) remain central to economic growth, infrastructure delivery and service provision. Yet persistent challenges – including governance failures, financial distress, operational inefficiencies and declining public confidence – continue to undermine their effectiveness and sustainability.
The State-Owned Enterprises Conference 2026 is designed as a strategic reset. In response to feedback from the 2025 conference, the 2026 edition will move beyond high-level debate toward practical, performance-oriented solutions, with a stronger focus on real SOE case studies, oversight effectiveness, leadership capability, digital transformation and measurable reform outcomes.
Hosted over two days in Durban, the conference will convene senior government officials, SOE executives, board members, oversight institutions, financiers, legal experts, academics and civil society representatives to critically examine what must change – and what is already working – in the governance and management of South Africa’s SOEs.
The programme will prioritise fewer, higher-impact sessions, deeper discussion and interactive panels, directly responding to delegate requests for more time per speaker, more SOE representation and greater diversity of perspectives.
This conference is designed for stakeholders involved in the governance, oversight, management and reform of State-Owned Enterprises, including:
Participants will:
We promote and create opportunities for professionalism in the
development and management of sustainable energy. We create a total
continuous learning experience for delegates. We serve!
The 2026 Conference will address technical, regulatory and market design challenges associated with the implementation and scaling up of electricity wheeling in South Africa. Drawing on industry feedback and recent developments, the following topics will be explored:
Aradhna Pandarum
Founder and CEO | Just Green Strategies
Katherine Persson
Managing Director: Assets | SOLA Group (Pty) Ltd
Senior Manager: Project Delivery Energy Council of South Africa
Renewables Lead | BDO South Africa
Head: Business Development ACES Africa
Consultant | Meridian Economics
CEO | FIBON
Head of M&A and Large C&I Yellow Door Energy South Africa
AMEU Strategic Adviser
Director | Harmattan Renewables
Operations Manager | Enpower Trading
Senior analyst Just Energy Transition and Infrastructure | Krutham
Chief Executive Officer | SOLINK
Acting Director of the Projects/Planning | Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality
CEO | Apollo Africa
Head of Commercial | SolarAfrica
Chief Executive Officer | ENERTRGA
Chief Engineer | eThekwini Municipality
Chief Executive Officer | Atlantis Special Economic Zone
08:00 – 09:00 Registration & Networking
09:00 – 09:20 Welcome & Opening Remarks – MillaSA
09:20 – 10:00 Keynote: The State of South Africa’s SOEs: Risks, Reforms and Realities
10:00 – 10:30 Tea Break
10:30 – 12:00 Session 1: Oversight in Practice – AGSA, SCOPA and Shareholder Accountability
12:00 – 13:00 Lunch
13:00 – 14:30 Session 2: Boards, Ethics and Leadership in High-Risk SOEs
14:30 – 15:00 Tea Break
15:00 – 16:30 Panel Discussion: Why Some SOEs Fail — and Others Recover
16:30 Close of Day 1
08:30 – 09:00 Morning Coffee
09:00 – 09:45 Keynote: Fiscal Risk, Debt and the Cost of SOE Underperformance
09:45 – 10:15 Tea Break
10:15 – 11:45 Session 3: Reform Options – Unbundling, PPPs, Business Rescue and Institutional Redesign
11:45 – 12:45 Lunch
12:45 – 14:15 Session 4: Digital Transformation, Data and Performance Monitoring in SOEs
14:15 – 14:45 Tea Break
14:45 – 16:00 Closing Roundtable: Rebuilding Trust and Public Value in State-Owned Enterprises
16:00 Conference Close
Cost per person
NB: Price is in South African Rand. Price displayed excludes VAT.
