Eskom has officially announced an 8.76% increase in electricity tariffs starting from April 1, 2026.
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South Africans getting their electricity directly from Eskom will pay 8.76% more for their power from April 1. Municipal increases are expected to be from 9% upwards.
Eskom has officially moved to implement its electricity tariff adjustments for the 2026/27 financial year, following a decision by the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) earlier this month.
The utility confirmed on Monday that the regulator has approved an average price increase of 8.76% for customers supplied directly by the state-owned entity.
The adjustments are set to take effect for Eskom’s direct customers from April 1. However, those who receive electricity through municipal grids will have to wait for their municipalities to announce price increases from July 1.
Eskom Group Chief Financial Officer Calib Cassim emphasised that the utility is cognizant of the financial burden these increases place on the South African public.
“We have been clear in communicating that Eskom is working to ensure that future tariff increase requests remain reasonable, recognising the affordability pressures on both residential and business customers,” Cassim said.
He added that achieving this balance "depends on disciplined financial management and finding smarter, more efficient ways of operating."
According to the utility, the revenue requirement is essential to cover the basic costs of generating, transmitting, and distributing electricity while "migrating towards a fair return needed to maintain and invest in critical infrastructure." The utility maintained that NERSA’s final decision weighed both the long-term sustainability of the national power grid against the immediate reality of customer affordability.
To mitigate the impact on the most vulnerable sectors of society, Eskom said that several subsidy frameworks will remain active.
This includes home-light tariffs and rural tariffs, which are offset by the Affordability Subsidy Charge and the Electrification and Rural Subsidy (ERS) charge. These measures are designed to ensure that electricity “remains accessible and affordable for low-income and rural households", Eskom said.
The price adjustment comes as Eskom reports a marked improvement in its operational performance over the last three years. The utility’s Energy Availability Factor (EAF) has risen to 65.85% for the current year-to-date, with the fleet hitting the 70% mark on 83 separate occasions.
A spokesperson for the utility highlighted the stabilization of the grid’s core components, noting that "baseload units that anchor the system 24/7 have stabilised significantly, improving from 9% availability two years ago to being available more than 98% of the time today."
Cape Times