Refilwe Sebothoma, Founder and CEO of South African-based gas company Hakem Energies, will speak at the upcoming African Energy Week (AEW): Invest in African Energies conference. During the event, Sebothoma is expected to highlight South Africa’s clean cooking agenda and the role of women-led innovators in driving inclusive access to modern energy services across underserved communities.
Taking place from September 29 to October 3 in Cape Town, AEW: Invest in African Energies is the largest energy event in Africa, convening stakeholders under the theme: Positioning Africa as the Global Energy Champion. The event drives investment across the entire energy value chain in Africa, supporting broader continental goals of advancing energy access and clean cooking adoption. Sebothoma’s participation reflects Hakem Energies’ critical role in advancing South Africa’s LPG market and is set to create new pathways for collaboration and dialogue.
AEW: Invest in African Energies is the platform of choice for project operators, financiers, technology providers and government, and has emerged as the official place to sign deals in African energy. Visit www.AECWeek.com for more information about this exciting event.
While Africa holds approximately 620 trillion cubic feet of natural gas reserves, over 900 million people across the continent live without access to clean cooking solutions. Companies such as Hakem Energies seek to address this dilemma by enhancing access to sustainable and affordable fuels such as LPG. The company is accelerating LPG adoption as a practical and scalable pathway to reduce energy poverty, empower women and enhance energy resilience. Under her leadership, Hakem Energies is deploying innovative solutions such as the Hakem LPG Box and micro-distribution networks, which deliver affordable, reliable and safe LPG to rural areas and informal settlements. The company’s flexible “pay-for-what-you-fill” model is also tailored for low-income households, improving affordability and access. Beyond household LPG use, Hakem Energies offers bulk and packaged LPG supply for a variety of economic sectors, including mining, agriculture and hospitality. With robust infrastructure support for remote operations, the company supports LPG adoption across the country.
Hakem Energies’ solutions come as the country strives to accelerate the uptake of natural gas, leveraging policy to promote LPG expansion. South Africa’s Gas Strategy Vision for 2050 – published by the National Energy Regulator of South Africa in April 2025 – seeks to diversify supply and maximize gas use for inclusive growth. In this scenario, companies like Hakem Energies are essential in supporting both the adoption of LPG as well as the transition to gas-based fuels. The firm’s work directly supports the strategy’s objectives around energy equity, economic development and clean cooking scale-up. In 2024, Sebothoma was awarded the Women of the Year Award by the Women in LPG Global Network for her leadership in championing diversity and women’s empowerment through LPG use for energy access – a key pillar of AEW: Invest in African Energies.
At the event this September, Sebothoma will contribute to strategic dialogues and project showcases, spotlighting key investment and partnership opportunities to scale up clean cooking infrastructure and small-scale gas distribution.
“Sebothoma is championing a woman-powered, youth-led and community-built ecosystem for an inclusive energy transition in South Africa. As Africa drives towards energy resilience for sustainable development, women cannot continue to be left behind. LPG solutions offer a powerful tool to empower communities and close the energy access gap,” said Oré Onagbesan, Program Director for AEW: Invest in African Energies.
Africa Fact: A sixteenth century traveller visited the central African civilisation of Kanem-Borno and commented that the emperor’s cavalry had golden “stirrups, spurs, bits and buckles.” Even the ruler’s dogs had “chains of the finest gold”.
frosty snazz
Fun South African Fact: Towns like Franschhoek and Stellenbosch boast world-class wine farms in beautiful settings.
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A baby was born in South Africa. The village was very poor, and the makeshift hospital didn\’t have some necessary equipment.. such as scales.
The father however, was desperate to know the newborn baby\’s weight. After quite a bit of asking around, the hospital\’s chairman came up with an idea.
\”Five miles west, there\’s a butcher shop. The owner deals with meat, he should have a rather precise scale. You could just put your baby on the meat scale, and the weight reading you\’ll get should be pretty accurate.\”
And so the father departed westward. After much walking, with his newborn child cardled safely in his arms, he finally arrived at the butcher shop. He explained his dilemma to the shop owner, to witch the latter replied:
\”Don\’t worry, friend. It\’s not even a problem, I\’ll check it for you, free of charge.\” And so he took the child to the back, where the scale was located.
The father heard rumbling noises, and some scraping.. About a minute later the butcher came back.
\”About three pounds boneless\” He said.