Today, Wetility is South Africa’s fastest-growing solar provider in various segments, offering a unique solar-as-a-service platform that combines PV generation, storage, smart geyser controls, monthly financing and AI Mode which boosts solar savings up to 90%.
But behind the scenes is a deeper story about what happens when bold ideas get the support they need and how that support drives impact far beyond the balance sheet.
More jobs. More access. More energy. More opportunity.
Wetility is proof of what could happen when innovation funds, like the MultiChoice Innovation Fund, invest. Earlier this month, Wetility made headlines for doing what few manage: repaying its MultiChoice Innovation Fund loan ahead of schedule.
It marks a moment of validation for the backing of innovation. Because the ripple effect of investing in powerful ideas doesn’t stop at the first wave. It builds momentum for a more powered, employed, and equitable South Africa.
No Watts, No Work: The Crisis of unreliable energy supply
South Africa is gripped by two interwoven crises: energy insecurity and mass unemployment. Every blackout doesn’t just cut the lights, it cuts income, ambition, and economic momentum. Businesses shut. Entrepreneurs stall. Breadwinners wait in the dark.
We speak of kilowatts and megawatts, but the real cost of energy failure is measured in impactful losses of opportunity and purpose.
The absence of electricity in South Africa doesn’t just inconvenience. It reverses productivity, drives away investment, and reinforces a troubling cycle of economic exclusion. Against the backdrop of unemployment that is above 32% – with youth unemployment at a staggering 46.1% in Q1 of 2025, according to Statistics South Africa highlights that further economic losses are unaffordable.
Generally, consumers of power have either compromised or felt compromised, especially in terms of service experience. Conversely, adopters of Wetility on online forums express deep excitedness, which sometimes evokes emotions of rebellion; rebellion against broken infrastructure, financial exclusion, and the outdated idea of reliable power as a privilege for few.
Wetility was built to unlock economic activity and energy independence – for everyone. That is why Wetility continues to be more than a solar provider in the eyes of its customers.
It’s customers – businesses and households – convey a common feeling of control over their power, and hence, their day. It comes across as a spirit to stay productive, competitive, and full of energy.
A spaza shop that no longer shuts. A farmer whose yields increase. A lawyer who keeps deadlines. A clinic that keeps lifesaving equipment on.
These aren’t case studies. They’re real stories. Real, local, South African stories.
A Green Economy Multiplier
Wetility’s solar platform also aligns with broader environmental goals. In FY25, MultiChoice generated over 1 million kWh of renewable energy at its own facilities, avoiding more than 1 140 tonnes of CO₂ emissions. The company also maintains solar PV systems at multiple sites, part of a larger strategy to improve environmental efficiency and reduce direct emissions across operations.
But the bigger shift is this: by supporting businesses like Wetility, the environmental footprint is extended beyond internal targets. It becomes about enabling greener livelihoods – distributed solar as infrastructure, not accessory.
The ripple effect is undeniable:
from direct employment and supply chain stimulation to powering township entrepreneurs and lifting communities out of energy insecurity one project at a time.
But no matter how revolutionary the idea, without access to funding, mentorship, and structural support, it is often impossible to move from concept to reality.
Wetility’s story is not just one of innovation, it’s a case study in investment delivering real-world returns. The MultiChoice Innovation Fund enabled more than just a product launch – it validated a model that delivers reliable power, economic opportunity, and energy equity to move from an idea to being one of the fastest growing solar providers in the country. In the process, there are positive externalities, such as creating jobs and energising communities to develop and grow to their true potential.
And in South Africa’s just energy transition, that ripple effect is exactly what the green economy needs.