South Africa has marked a significant milestone with over 460 consecutive days free from national power cuts, a development credited by President Cyril Ramaphosa to the efforts of the African National Congress (ANC). During the launch of the ANC manifesto in anticipation of the local government elections on November 4, Ramaphosa highlighted the party’s role in resolving the country’s long-standing electricity load-shedding issues.
According to Ramaphosa, the strides taken in improving electricity generation coupled with enhanced management at Eskom, the national power utility, have been pivotal in achieving this sustained progress. The President’s remarks underscore the government’s commitment to stabilizing the electricity supply, a critical factor for national development and economic stability.
Eskom has confirmed that since May 16, 2025, South Africa has not experienced load shedding, attributing this success to better performance of power stations and a reduction in unplanned outages. This marks a major turnaround for the utility, which has been plagued by operational challenges in recent years, severely affecting the country’s energy reliability.
Despite these advancements, certain areas continue to face load reduction measures, a strategy used to safeguard local electricity networks from being overloaded. President Ramaphosa acknowledged this ongoing issue, specifically in regions such as Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, and assured that work is underway to eliminate load reduction across the country, expressing optimism about overcoming these challenges.