South Africa’s renewable energy industry may still be dominated by men in technical and engineering roles, but women are increasingly taking on influential positions across the sector.
Data from Statistics South Africa shows that women hold only about 37% of jobs in the broader energy industry mix, with male workers making up roughly 63% of total green employment.
As part of commemorating Women’s Month, GoSolr is highlighting the women behind its solar business, showcasing how diverse career paths are contributing to the growth of SA's renewable energy market.
Among them are legal counsel Dharmisha Lala-Harmse; head of customer experience and compliance Tanya Jooste; and executive Natalie Thom, who leads strategic, business-critical initiatives at the solar provider.
From law to renewable energy
Lala-Harmse joined GoSolr in March 2025 as legal counsel, working across contracts, compliance, customer disputes, litigation and legal risk management.
She says her move into renewable energy was driven by the opportunity to combine her legal experience with an industry addressing a pressing challenge for South African households.
“Reliable energy is a daily concern for many South Africans. It is meaningful to use my legal experience in a business that is helping address that challenge,” she says.
Working in two traditionally male-dominated fields has shaped her approach to leadership.
One of her biggest career challenges, she says, has been learning to trust her expertise and speak with confidence in environments where women may have to work harder to be heard.
“You do not need to change who you are to lead or make an impact,” she says.
At GoSolr, Lala-Harmse says she is particularly proud of helping develop legal and compliance processes that protect the business while promoting fairness and accountability.
She believes greater representation of women needs to extend beyond participation to include meaningful influence.
“Representation matters,” she says. “However, women must also be supported, heard and trusted to lead.”
From compliance to solar technology
Jooste’s route into the renewable energy sector was similarly unexpected.
She joined GoSolr as a compliance manager and initially had little knowledge of the technology behind solar installations. Her role soon prompted her to learn about everything from wiring standards and distribution boards to inverters, batteries and system performance.
“I never imagined I’d be learning about wiring standards, DB boards, inverters, batteries and all the technical things that come with solar,” she says. “There were moments where I felt completely out of my depth.”
Jooste now heads customer experience and compliance, balancing customer satisfaction, business processes and regulatory requirements.
For her, one of the biggest lessons in leadership has been learning when to step back.
As someone who naturally wants to fix problems, she says she had to learn to trust her team, give employees ownership and allow them space to develop.
Her approach to resilience was influenced by watching her father study accounting while working as a car guard at auctions.
“Watching that level of determination taught me that success isn’t about having the easiest path,” she says. “It’s about showing up, doing the work and refusing to quit when things get hard.”
Jooste says GoSolr’s focus on affordable, reliable energy also has a human dimension, particularly for families looking for greater certainty around their electricity supply.
She encourages women entering the sector not to be intimidated by the technical knowledge required.
“You don’t need to know everything on day one. Ask questions, stay curious and don’t be afraid to get stuck in,” she says.
From customer to executive
Thom’s route into GoSolr began before she joined the company.
During six years at Xfacta, GoSolr was one of her clients, giving her insight into the company’s growth. She also installed a solar system at her own home in early 2023, becoming a GoSolr customer before eventually becoming an employee.
She joined the company almost three years ago as a special projects lead and has since moved into an executive role, where she leads strategic initiatives, aligns teams and turns complex or ambiguous problems into structured plans with clear ownership and metrics.
“What attracted me was the combination of purpose and innovation,” she says. “GoSolr was solving a genuine problem for South Africans while building a business that challenged traditional ways of thinking about energy access.”
Like many women entering the sector, Thom has had to develop technical knowledge along the way.
“Most women aren’t raised understanding DB boards, AC/DC or how solar systems work, so I’ve had to learn a lot along the way,” she says.
Rather than seeing being the only woman in the room as a disadvantage, she says she has increasingly viewed it as an opportunity to bring a different perspective to discussions.
Her biggest career challenge has been finding work she genuinely enjoys, rather than simply work she is good at, while also learning how to provide guidance without limiting the growth of others.
She says she is proud of the impact she has made at GoSolr, while at the same time raising young children and maintaining a close-knit family life.
Her advice to women considering renewable energy is not to be deterred by the sector’s traditional gender imbalance.
“The sector needs diverse perspectives, and women are playing an increasingly important role in its growth and success,” she says.
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