South Africa has officially gone one full year without loadshedding for the first time since 2018, marking a major milestone in Eskom’s recovery and providing a significant boost to business confidence and economic stability.
The power utility says the achievement represents more than simply keeping the lights on.
It believes it signals a structural turnaround in the country’s electricity system after years of breakdowns, diesel overspending and economic disruption.
According to Eskom, the improved stability has already saved the utility R26.9 billion in diesel costs over the past three years by reducing its reliance on expensive emergency power generation.
Diesel-powered open-cycle gas turbines were heavily used during the worst years of loadshedding to prevent grid collapse, but they became a major financial burden for Eskom.
Speaking to Stephen Grootes on The Money Show, Eskom CEO Dan Marokane says the improved supply outlook is a result of hard work, and remaining focused on the turnaround strategy.
"This plan was not only about maintenance...it was also about capacitating the organisation with the right skills. Moving power station managers to match the complexity of the individual power stations."
- Dan Marokane, CEO - Eskom
"Changing some of the processes in the business to enable agility and quicker decision making, and in the process healing the entire system, that is an ecosystem of making sure that the business can function."
- Dan Marokane, CEO - Eskom
"it is just discipline that we now need to maintain going forward, to ensure that we don't return to that [loadshedding] situation from a country perspective,."
- Dan Marokane, CEO - Eskom
SOURCE
Breaking News
Bokwe Mafuna
May 22 2026
4
