South Africa’s State-owned power utility, Eskom, has projected continued financial recovery over the coming years after posting its first full-year profit in eight years.
In a presentation to a parliamentary Committee on Tuesday, March 24, the utility forecast a pre-tax profit of 25.8 billion rand for the current financial year ending in March, rising to 30.1 billion rand the following year and 35.4 billion rand thereafter. The improved outlook is anchored on operational efficiencies across its power stations and ongoing government debt relief.
Eskom also reported a sharp decline in power outages, recording 300 consecutive days without cuts this month. This marks a significant turnaround from 329 days of outages two years ago and 13 days last financial year.
However, the utility flagged mounting municipal debt—now at 110.5 billion rand—as a key financial risk. Looking ahead, Eskom plans to invest up to 343 billion rand in capital projects over five years, with potential expansion into public-private partnerships to strengthen long-term sustainability.