Should we celebrate 27 days without loadshedding? Of course, says Eskom

Bongani Bingwa interviews Eskom Chairperson Mteto Nyati.

Listen below.

South Africans have enjoyed a continuous stretch of 27 days with uninterrupted electricity supply.

Eskom attributes this to sustained available generation capacity and sufficient emergency reserves.

However, some are doubtful, suggesting that the ruling ANC is exerting pressure on the utility to maintain power as elections draw near.

RELATED: Good news or looming darkness? Mzansi goes almost two weeks without loadshedding

Nyati explains that, in 2023, Eskom implemented a two-year plan to recover generation capacity and address the energy crisis.

He notes that in the first year alone, they've conducted more maintenance than in the previous four years.

Consequently, the reintegration of reliable machinery and significant reductions in unplanned outages have led to an uninterrupted power supply for 27 consecutive days. 

While details about their winter strategy remain limited, Nyati hints that, if they maintain their current trajectory, South Africans might not face a bleak, dark winter.

Although recognising the substantial journey ahead, Nyati believes Eskom's progress warrants acknowledgement and celebration.

"I can't blame South Africans for being skeptical." 

- Mteto Nyati, Chair - Eskom

"Should we celebrating? Of course we should be celebrating."

- Mteto Nyati, Chair - Eskom

"Now that we have much more reliable machines, we're going to have less and less breakdowns."

- Mteto Nyati, Chair - Eskom

"We still have a long way to go, but we're happy with the progress."

- Mteto Nyati, Chair - Eskom

Scroll up to the audio player to listen to the interview.