Eskom's Improved Performance Not Due to Political Pressure, Says Minister

Image Source: Minister Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa briefing members of the media on the implementation of the Energy Action Plan/ @GovernmentZA on X

Published By: Everything ZA News

South Africa’s Energy Minister, Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, has firmly denied allegations that the government is pressuring Eskom to avoid load shedding ahead of the upcoming elections, which are only 21 days away.

During an update on the country’s energy action plan in Pretoria on Monday, Ramokgopa emphasized that Eskom’s operations are free from political influence.

His comments come after South Africa enjoyed 40 consecutive days without load shedding. The Minister attributed this positive development to a more stable national power grid and Eskom’s ongoing efforts.

Last week, Ramokgopa expressed cautious optimism, stating that load shedding was very close to being eliminated thanks to an improved energy availability factor of 65.5% and the extended period of uninterrupted power supply.

While unplanned outages have risen slightly compared to last year (over 16,000 in 2023 vs. 18,000 in 2024), the significant reduction in these outages has allowed the energy availability factor to stay above 60% since April.

“I want to firmly dispel the myth that Eskom is artificially avoiding load shedding due to political pressure from the current government,” declared Ramokgopa. He reiterated that the recent improvements have no connection to the approaching elections.

Watch the full media briefing on the implementation of Energy Action Plan: