Deputy President Paul Mashatile says South Africa’s green hydrogen ambitions must anchor a new era of reindustrialisation, urging the country to “build what we use and innovate what we export”.
He said this as he launched the R100 million Wits Strategic Hydrogen Localisation Investment Facility (Wits-SAHLI) on Friday.
Reclaiming lost industrial ground
Speaking at the university’s West Campus, Mashatile positioned the hydrogen initiative as more than a research milestone. He said it is a national turning point in rebuilding domestic manufacturing capacity and reclaiming lost industrial ground.
“This moment marks not only the beginning of a ground-breaking project. It also marks the start of a shared national endeavour: to build a new industrial capability. One … that drives innovation, creates quality jobs, and contributes to a just, inclusive, and sustainable economy,” he said.
The Wits-SAHLI initiative is a partnership between Air Liquide South Africa, Wits University and the Localisation Support Fund. It forms part of South Africa’s broader Hydrogen Society Roadmap.
From classrooms to world-class laboratories
In a personal reflection, Mashatile contrasted the modern hydrogen facility with his own school days. This was when science lessons were conducted in under-resourced classrooms with improvised equipment.
“Our ‘science laboratory’ was nothing more than a with a cracked chalkboard and wobbly desks… What we had was imagination,” he recalled.
He said facilities such as Wits-SAHLI symbolise how far the country has come. And how far it must still go to ensure young South Africans inherit not limitations, but opportunity.
“They close the gap between potential and possibility,” the Deputy President said. He added that the hydrogen plant would serve as both a technical asset and a training ground for the next generation of engineers, scientists and entrepreneurs.
Hydrogen as a reindustrialisation lever
Equipped with a 110 kilowatt electrolyser, 200kg hydrogen storage capacity and a 200 kilowatt clean power output system, the modular pilot plant is designed to bridge the gap between laboratory-scale research and industrial implementation.
Mashatile framed localisation as the central pillar of the project. He argued that South Africa cannot afford to remain dependent on imported technologies. Particularly in emerging sectors such as green hydrogen.
“Localisation generates jobs, enhances skill sets and supports small businesses. By reducing dependency on external supply chains, it empowers local researchers and industries to innovate,” he said.
He pointed to the steady decline in manufacturing. From more than 22% of GDP in the early 1990s to about 12–13% today. He also mentioned falling employment in the sector as evidence of the urgency to act.
“Behind every percentage point lost are thousands of vanished opportunities,” he warned.
Initiatives such as Wits-SAHLI, he said, are central to reversing that decline. By deepening local value chains, developing supplier ecosystems for SMMEs and ensuring that intellectual property and technical expertise remain within South Africa’s borders.
Anchoring the energy transition
Mashatile acknowledged the role of Electricity and Energy Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa in strengthening policy certainty. And also positioning green hydrogen within the country’s broader energy transition strategy.
He emphasised that hydrogen development must not occur in isolation. It must occur as part of an integrated national energy plan. One that includes grid expansion, renewable energy integration and industrial reform.
Academia: backbone of hydrogen economy
Higher Education and Training Minister Buti Manamela joined the launch. Mashatile underscored the importance of universities in building the skills pipeline required to scale the hydrogen economy from pilot phase to commercial viability.
“Universities and research facilities are the backbone of this initiative. The hydrogen economy will require new thinkers, new problem solvers, new technicians, new researchers and new entrepreneurs,” he said.
By 2028, when the facility is expected to be fully operational. The partnership aims to have cultivated a vibrant ecosystem of locally manufactured hydrogen components. To have strengthened enterprise development pathways and enhanced South Africa’s competitiveness in global green markets.
In closing, Mashatile described the launch as the foundation of a new chapter in South Africa’s industrial and energy landscape.
- SAnews.gov.za
