Electricity
Electricity is a form of energy resulting from the flow of electric charge, widely used for power generation, transmission and distribution to industrial, commercial and residential consumers. It is a fundamental utility that underpins modern economies, enabling manufacturing, transport, communications, healthcare and domestic activities. Electricity is generated from diverse sources including coal, natural gas, nuclear fission, hydropower, wind, solar photovoltaic panels and other renewables. The electricity industry encompasses generation companies, transmission system operators, distribution networks and retail suppliers, often operating under regulatory frameworks that balance investment, reliability and affordability. In many African markets, state-owned utilities dominate generation and distribution, though independent power producers and private participation are growing. Electricity supply reliability is a critical economic indicator; shortages and loadshedding can constrain growth, disrupt production and raise costs. Demand for electricity in sub-Saharan Africa is rising with urbanisation, industrialisation and expanding access, yet generation capacity and grid infrastructure often lag behind need. Tariff structures, cost-reflective pricing and subsidy reform remain contentious policy issues across the continent. The transition to lower-carbon electricity generation is reshaping investment, regulation and technology choices worldwide. Electricity markets vary from vertically integrated monopolies to unbundled, competitive structures with wholesale trading and retail choice.
Electricity Updates
Supportive ecosystem
By: Terence Creamer 6th November 2026 With the local government elections now behind us, the immediate focus will be on who will lead the new municipal administrations and on the nature... →
South African votes put Eskom municipal debt clean-up at risk
By: Reuters 3rd November 2026 South Africa's dry taps and power cuts reflect a municipal debt crisis that is squeezing State utility Eskom and straining public finances, with... →
By voting on Wednesday we can make South Africa better
2nd November 2026 Dear Fellow South African, In two days’ time, on Wednesday 4 November, we will be holding local government elections. This is one of the biggest... →
Lack of gas-supply assurances sees no gas-to-power bidders selected in SA’s first bid window 
By: Terence Creamer 28th October 2026 Electricity and Energy Minister Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa has confirmed that none of the four bidders that made submissions under South Africa’s... →
September inflation tightens squeeze on South African mining
By: Martin Creamer 27th October 2026 South Africa’s headline consumer price inflation rose to 4.5% in September, from 4.4% in August, staying above the South African Reserve Bank’s 3%... →
DA ideas are winning. Now let’s make South Africa win
23rd October 2026 The mid-year Budget Speech last week contained an important victory for the DA. For the first time, the Minister of Finance has agreed to introduce... →
SA: Cyril Ramaphosa: Address by South African President, official launch of the revised White Paper on local government (22/10/2026)
23rd October 2026 Local government is the sphere of government closest to the people. From the biggest metro to the smallest village, it is where the promise of... →
Minerals Council welcomes fiscal progress, calls for accelerated structural reforms
By: Martin Creamer 21st October 2026 The Minerals Council South Africa welcomes the commitment in the 2026 Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) to fiscal sustainability and... →
Treasury undertaking first comprehensive modernisation of MFMA
By: Lumkile Nkomfe 21st October 2026 Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana has announced that National Treasury is undertaking its first comprehensive modernisation of the Municipal... →
RISE Mzansi: Lukhona Mnguni: Address by Joburg mayoral candidate, during the launch of the RISE Mzansi Municipal Plan, Rosebank, Johannesburg (20/10/2026)
21st October 2026 Our people-to-people campaign has been a resounding success since we launched our campaign on 23 May 2026. Even during the ice-cold winter, people... →
