By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
State owned power utility Eskom has reached 100 consecutive days without load shedding, saying it signals a sharp turnaround in performance and a growing stabilisation of South Africa’s power grid.
Eskom said that the latest accomplishment builds on the momentum of 2024, as it delivered 352 loadshedding-free days.
Spokesperson Daphne Mokwena said: “This achievement builds on the utility’s improved track record in 2024, which saw 352 days without loadshedding, and stands in stark contrast to the dismal 36 days recorded in the 2023/24 financial year.
“Eskom attributes the progress to its Generation Recovery Plan, launched in March 2023, and the consistent efforts of its technical teams.”
So far in the current financial year (2025/26), only 26 hours of loadshedding have been recorded, according to Eskom, with 144 days of uninterrupted electricity supply delivered.
Mokwena said the results are evidence of sustained recovery. “This 100-day streak is not just a number — it’s a sign of growing resilience in our generation fleet and a major step toward ending loadshedding for good.”
Eskom also reported that unplanned outages have dropped to 6 035 MW — well below the critical 7 000 MW threshold — a level last seen in September 2020.
The utility says its goal is not only to maintain this operational momentum, but to help drive structural reforms and accelerate the country’s shift to a sustainable, competitive energy future.
Despite Eskom’s praise of its performance, the Nedbank Group Economic Unit’s latest energy tracker shows that the uptick in renewable energy sources primarily drives South Africa’s power supply improvements.
Its analysis showed that power demand in South Africa far outstrips available supply by as much as 24% versus the 2019-2021 average.
This has forced Eskom to turn to load reductions, Open Cycle Gas Turbine usage and international imports to stop load shedding.
Although Eskom’s dependence on this “compensatory load” has eased dramatically since peaking in 2023, this isn’t necessarily due to Eskom’s performance.