Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA) and Business Unity South Africa (BUSA) groups issued an open call and have urged the government to step in and stop Eskom from trying to entrench its monopoly within the country.
Industry News
Energy expert Professor Vally Padayachee warns that approving private electricity trading licences without establishing new rules for their participation could bankrupt Eskom and municipalities.
Eskom’s financial challenges cost South African residents numerous times through taxpayer-funded bailouts, rising electricity prices, and new fixed fees, placing more strain on the country’s households.
Eskom is making progress on its reform agenda and turn around its generation performance, but this looks like it will come at a great cost for South African consumers and businesses as Eskom plans to implement further price hikes.
Eskom has warned that municipal electricity debt could triple over the next five years, exceeding R300 billion by 2030 and threatening the power utility’s operational stability, that by the end of March 2025, it was owed R94.6 billion.
The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) says private rooftop solar power supported 5% of South Africa’s electricity demand in the first half of 2025, more than the contribution of nuclear power.