South Africa has gone a full 12 consecutive months without load shedding as of May 2026, the longest period of grid stability in over a decade. Eskom credits its April 2023 generation recovery plan, which focused on planned maintenance, reducing unplanned breakdowns, and commissioning the Kusile coal station. Private rooftop solar adoption, removal of licensing thresholds for private generation, and political support from the electricity minister also contributed. However, consumers have faced above-inflation tariff increases, and Eskom's own modelling warns that rolling blackouts could return by 2029–2030 due to the planned retirement of 5.3GW of coal capacity.
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