RACA Journal I October 2026 www. refrigerationandaircon. co. za 7
WOMEN IN MAINTENANCE
• Recognition of HFCs’ high GWP, leading to the Kigali Amendment and a new global effort to phase down HFCs.
Now, the focus is on promoting low-GWP refrigerants – those with a global warming potential lower than about 700, and in some cases close to zero. These include:
• Natural refrigerants such as CO₂ and ammonia.
• Hydrocarbons such as R-600a( isobutane) and R-290( propane).
While these low-GWP alternatives offer environmental benefits, they also introduce technical and safety challenges. Many of them are flammable, and that reality has created concern and resistance within the industry.
This is where Ndhlovu’ s argument connects environmental policy and gender inclusion. The shift to new refrigerants requires new skills, new safety protocols and new ways of working. Consequently, the sector must invest in training and upskilling technicians, and there is no reason women should be left out of this process.
As the technology evolves, there is an opportunity to reconfigure the workforce to be more inclusive, rather than replicating old patterns of exclusion.
To manage this transition, the DFFE is developing new HFC regulations. According to Ndhlovu, a draft regulation is in the final stages of preparation( as at May 2026) which will soon be published for public comment by the minister. Stakeholders across the value chain – manufacturers, importers, service companies, technicians and end users – will be invited to review and respond.
These regulations aim to control and progressively reduce the use and import of high-GWP HFCs; encourage a shift towards low-GWP alternatives; and support demonstrations of new technologies and transition strategies in partnership with industry.
Within this regulatory process, Ndhlovu highlights‘ female activities’ and stakeholder partnerships as major objectives. This signals that the department does not view environmental governance as purely technical – they see it as deeply social, with implications for equity, access and empowerment.
BREAKING THE ICE: WOMEN AS DRIVERS OF A JUST TRANSITION
Ndhlovu’ s central theme –‘ Breaking the Ice! Rise of female powerhouses in the cold chain sector’ – captures a dual transformation:
• Breaking the environmental ice: Moving away from high- GWP refrigerants and harmful substances, and embracing sustainable alternatives that protect the ozone layer and the climate.
• Breaking the social ice: Challenging entrenched norms that see technical servicing and maintenance as men’ s work, and creating space for women to lead, innovate and thrive.
She frames this not as a zero-sum competition between men and women, but as a collective upgrade for the sector:
• When more skilled people, regardless of gender, are brought into the workforce, service quality improves.
• When women are visible as technicians, trainers and decision-makers, younger women and girls see viable career paths in an area traditionally closed off to them.
• When gender diversity is integrated into capacity-building for new, climate-friendly technologies, the transition becomes more just and resilient. RACA networking associations
RACA Journal I October 2026 www. refrigerationandaircon. co. za 7