Home › Guides › Load-Shedding 2026
Power & UtilitiesIs Load-Shedding Back in South Africa? What Eskom's 2026 Looks Like
No, not as of October 2026. Eskom has not implemented load-shedding since 16 May 2025, and its update of 9 October counted 511 consecutive days without it. Localised cuts called load reduction still affect about 194,000 Eskom customers, all in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, so check the suburb as well as the city.
If you last checked in on South Africa's power situation during the Stage 6 winters of 2022 and 2023, you're working off outdated information. As of October 2026, load-shedding has been switched off nationally for well over a year, but "off" doesn't mean "gone for good," and it doesn't mean every neighbourhood has uninterrupted power either.
The short answer: it's over, for now
South Africa went through many years of on-and-off rolling blackouts, peaking in the brutal Stage 6 rotations of 2022 and 2023, when some areas lost power for several hours a day. That period is, as of October 2026, behind the country. Eskom has not implemented load-shedding since 16 May 2025: its update of 9 October 2026 counted 511 consecutive days without it.
Eskom's winter outlook for 1 April to 31 August 2026 projected no load-shedding, and in September it reported that it had fully met winter demand.
The underlying numbers back it up. Eskom's Energy Availability Factor (the share of installed capacity actually able to generate) averaged 68.2% between 1 April and 8 October 2026, up from 62.6% in the same period last year, with some weeks above 70%. Eskom also reports that average unplanned outages (breakdowns) fell from about 16,300MW to about 9,100MW over three years. If you're relocating in 2026, you are very likely moving into a country where the lights simply stay on.
What actually changed
Three things help explain why the improvement has held rather than been a lucky quiet spell:
- Kusile came fully online. The sixth and last unit at Eskom's newest coal power station entered commercial operation on 29 September 2025, completing a 4,800MW plant that had been "coming soon" for years. That was after load-shedding stopped, so it is part of why the improvement has held rather than how it began.
- Maintenance and breakdown rates improved. Eskom's own reporting shows a sustained, multi-year decline in unplanned outages (the technical term for plants tripping unexpectedly) as opposed to planned maintenance, which is scheduled and managed around demand.
- Private generation exploded. South Africa has added a very large amount of private rooftop and utility-scale solar since 2023, much of it installed by households and businesses during the worst years, which has structurally reduced pressure on the national grid even during winter peaks.
Load-shedding vs load reduction: the difference that actually matters
This trips up a lot of people relocating: South African friends will sometimes say "we still lose power" even though load-shedding is suspended nationally. That's usually load reduction, not load-shedding, and the two are different problems.
| Load-shedding | Load reduction | |
|---|---|---|
| Cause | National generation shortfall: Eskom can't produce enough power for total demand | Local network overload: often illegal connections, meter tampering or ageing cabling in a specific area |
| Scale | Nationwide, by stage (1–8) | Localised: specific suburbs, substations or municipal areas |
| Notice | Scheduled and published in advance, by area | Often unannounced or irregular |
| Status in 2026 | Suspended nationally since 16 May 2025 | Still active in pockets: about 194,000 Eskom customers in Eskom's 9 October 2026 update, all in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal. Eskom aims to end it by March 2027 |
So it's entirely possible to move to a country with zero national load-shedding and still experience the odd unscheduled outage if you land in an area with load reduction. It's a real thing, but it's a much smaller, more localised problem than the blackouts of 2022–2023, and it's worth asking a local agent or your building manager directly whether your specific suburb is affected before you sign a lease.
Cape Town works a little differently. The City of Cape Town runs its own load-shedding schedule for most of its areas (1 to 16), while a handful, including Macassar, Philippi, Nyanga and Mfuleni, follow Eskom's schedule instead; the City's load-shedding and outages page explains the split. Eskom's update of 9 October 2026 lists the Western Cape among the provinces now free of load reduction, and the City posts scheduled maintenance and unplanned outages on its @CityofCTAlerts account on X.
Is this a real risk for someone relocating right now?
Practically, no, not in the way it was three years ago. If you're moving to South Africa in 2026, you should plan around occasional load reduction in some areas and the general reality of an ageing grid, not around scheduling your life by a load-shedding app. During the Stage 6 years, many households built their whole routine around outage schedules: cooking times, work calls, even school pickups. That's simply not the day-to-day reality right now.
What hasn't changed is that South Africa's infrastructure, generally, is a mixed bag: municipal water and roads vary a lot by area and by how well-run the local council is, and power is really just one line item in a broader "check the specific suburb, not just the city" approach to relocating to South Africa. Our neighbourhood guide goes into this in more depth.
Worth knowing: load-shedding, when it happens, is announced by stage: Eskom's load-shedding website carries the schedules, and municipalities that supply their own areas, such as Cape Town, publish separate ones. Many complexes, estates and newer office buildings have generator or inverter backup built in as an amenity. If you're renting, ask specifically whether backup power is included: it's a completely normal question in South Africa now, not an alarmist one.
Backup power: the new normal, even without load-shedding
Even with load-shedding suspended, backup power has become such an entrenched part of South African home life that many households and landlords simply kept their systems, and plenty of new arrivals still install something small. The reasons are load reduction, the odd storm-related outage, and a reluctance, after years of blackouts, to trust the grid to stay quiet forever.
| Option | What it does | Rough cost (2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Small UPS / power bank | Keeps Wi-Fi, laptop, lights running for an hour or two | R2,000–R6,000 |
| Hybrid inverter + small battery | Fridge, lights, router and TV for a few hours; switches over automatically | R35,000–R57,000 installed |
| Inverter + solar panels | As above, plus the battery recharges from the sun and cuts your Eskom bill | From around R80,000 installed in total |
None of this is compulsory anymore, and plenty of people rent an apartment in a building with its own backup and never think about it again. But if you're buying or renting a freestanding house, it's worth budgeting for at least a small inverter setup as part of your moving costs, the same way you'd budget for a fridge or a washing machine. It's simply normal in South Africa. Our solar and backup power guide explains what drives the cost at each tier and how to compare quotes.
Get the full 2026 relocation guide
30+ pages: visas, neighbourhoods, schools, healthcare, money and safety. Free.
Could load-shedding come back?
Possibly, and it's worth being straight about this rather than pretending the problem is permanently solved. The grid operator, NTCSA, publishes a Medium-Term System Adequacy Outlook that reviews whether available and planned generation will meet demand over the next five years, and the current edition covers 2026 to 2030. We don't quote a date here: check the latest edition for how it rates the risk year by year. The long-term question is whether new generation arrives quickly enough to replace Eskom's ageing coal stations as they close.
None of that changes the picture for someone relocating in 2026: it's a risk to keep an eye on, not a today risk. But it's the reason we wouldn't tell anyone to rip out an existing inverter system.
Common mistake: assuming the current stability means South Africa's grid problems are permanently fixed, or conversely, assuming nothing has changed since the Stage 6 years and cancelling a move over outdated load-shedding fears. Both extremes miss where things actually stand in 2026.
Our take
If load-shedding was the thing making you hesitate about relocating to South Africa, it shouldn't be anymore, not as things stand in October 2026. Eskom has gone more than 500 days without it, and the reasons behind that (better maintenance, a finished Kusile, a lot of private solar) look more structural than lucky.
What we'd do is ask about load reduction in the specific suburb, budget for at least basic backup power if you're buying or renting a freestanding house, and keep an eye on Eskom's published outlooks rather than assuming the improvement is permanent.
Frequently asked questions
Is load-shedding back in South Africa in 2026?
No. Eskom has not implemented load-shedding since 16 May 2025, and its winter 2026 outlook projected none. Short local outages, planned maintenance and "load reduction" in specific areas still happen, and Johannesburg's municipal network has its own faults. Treat a return of load-shedding as a risk to plan for, not a certainty.
What is the difference between load-shedding and load reduction in South Africa?
Load-shedding is a national, scheduled measure Eskom uses when total generation cannot meet total demand, announced in advance by stage and area. Load reduction is different: it is a localised, often unannounced power cut applied to specific suburbs or substations where the local distribution network is overloaded, commonly due to illegal connections, meter tampering or ageing infrastructure, rather than a shortage of generation. You can have zero national load-shedding and still lose power to load reduction in a specific area.
Do I need an inverter or solar backup if I'm moving to South Africa now?
It is no longer strictly necessary the way it was during the worst load-shedding years, but a battery inverter system has become a normal, expected feature of South African homes, and many rental properties and complexes already have one installed. A basic 3kW hybrid inverter with a small lithium battery, enough to run a fridge, lights, router and a laptop through an outage, typically costs in the region of R35,000 to R57,000 installed as of 2026, while a hybrid system with solar panels typically starts at around R80,000 installed.
Could load-shedding come back to South Africa?
It could. There has been no load-shedding since 16 May 2025, but the long-term picture depends on whether new generation arrives quickly enough to replace Eskom's ageing coal stations as they close. The grid operator, NTCSA, publishes a five-year Medium-Term System Adequacy Outlook (the current edition covers 2026 to 2030) that reviews whether available and planned generation will meet demand; check the latest edition for its view. Many people who lived through the power crisis still keep at least a basic backup plan rather than assume the improvement is permanent.
Is Eskom load-shedding still a threat in Johannesburg in 2026?
As of October 2026 Eskom has gone more than 500 days without national load-shedding, so the direct threat is low. Eskom reports that its load reduction, a localised cut on overloaded feeders at peak times, is now confined to Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, and its figures show Gauteng with the most feeders still to be cleared. Municipal network faults can also cause outages. If you are relocating to Johannesburg, check the specific suburb's load-reduction history rather than the national picture, and treat an inverter as a sensible convenience rather than a necessity.
General information only, not tax/financial/medical advice: confirm current rules and consult a qualified professional.