Culwick Fatti, ChristinaAnciano, FionaMahlungwana, Asemahle2026-09-222026-09-222025-12https://hdl.handle.net/10566/25482Despite legislation to ensure universal access to energy, energy security continues to be a challenge for low-income and marginalized communities in South Africa, like Khayelitsha. According to the Constitution of South Africa and the National Energy Act, one of the roles of the national and local governments is to formulate policies that ensure energy security for all citizens. These policies may impact the operation of informal businesses if they do not align with the informal businesses’ energy needs. Therefore, it is important to explore the extent to which there are gaps between policy and practice. The study explores the relationship between the City of Cape Town’s policies on energy security and energy access, and the lived experience of informal eateries in Khayelitsha in accessing energy. The study explores these aims through the research question: “To what extent do government energy policies support energy security practices by informal eateries in Khayelitsha?”. The question is answered using a qualitative research approach and case study design that uses Khayelitsha as a case study site. Energy policy documents are analyzed to assess the extent to which they accommodate informal eateries needs ,and CoCT government officials were interviewed to get their perspectives on energy security in informal enterprises. Additionally, to get the informal eateries operators’ perspective on energy policies, semi-structured interviews and participant observation were employed as data collection methods. Using these data collection methods, the findings presented state that there is a need for refinement of energy policies. The interviewed CoCT officials also note the exclusion of informal businesses from policy. This exclusion from policy, does have an impact on informal businesses as they experience challenges securing energy. This study identifies ways in which the government energy policies could better support energy security of informal businesses with the intention of offering recommendations for more accommodative energy governance that is inclusive of informal businesses in cities.enPolicy analysisEnergy securityGovernanceKhayelitshaInformalityThesis