Energy and Electricity Minister Dr. Kgosientsho Ramokgopa has assured the public that South Africa is unlikely to face severe load shedding this winter, with Eskom aiming for no power cuts at all.
Speaking at Megawatt Park in Sunning Hill, the minister credited Eskom’s leadership and improved power station performance for the positive outlook. Since January, only five short bouts of load shedding have occurred—a significant improvement from previous years.
Key factors include the recovery of previously struggling power stations like Tutuka and Kendal, as well as new generation capacity from Kusile Unit 6, expected to reach full operation soon. An additional 2,500 MW will be added to the grid, further stabilizing supply.
While stage 2 load shedding remains a worst-case scenario, Ramokgopa expressed confidence that outages could soon be a thing of the past. He also announced plans to address load reduction—a separate issue affecting under-resourced areas—with a detailed rollout expected in two weeks.
On private sector involvement, the minister confirmed progress in opening energy generation to independent players, with transmission infrastructure remaining state-controlled.
“All indicators are looking up,” Ramokgopa said. “We are confident that in the near future, we’ll speak of load shedding in past terms.”
