Load shedding is the single biggest constraint on South Africa’s economic growth. Government is taking action both to address the immediate crisis and to make load shedding a thing of the past. We are mobilising all the resources at our disposal and will do whatever it takes to achieve energy security.

By applying a laser focus to a limited number of high-impact interventions, and by acting with urgency and decisiveness, we can end load shedding.

Government is focused on two overriding objectives:

• First, to improve the performance of Eskom’s existing power stations; and
• Second, to add as much new generation capacity to the grid as possible, as quickly as possible.

We will achieve this by removing barriers to new generation capacity and unlocking energy from many different sources – including Eskom, independent power producers, businesses and households – as part of a collective national effort.  

At the same time, we can diversify our energy sources and achieve energy security in the long term.

A dedicated National Energy Crisis Committee (NECOM) has been established comprising all government departments and Eskom, led by the Director-General in the Presidency, to implement this action plan. It reports directly to an Inter-Ministerial Committee comprising the Minister in the Presidency, the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, the Minister of Public Enterprises, the Minister of Finance, the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment and the Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition.

Report by the Presidency