Electricity pricing overhaul promises greater transparency for consumers

As South Africa moves further away from the era of load shedding and load reduction, the focus is shifting to another pressing concern for households and businesses: the cost of keeping the lights on.

Electricity and Energy Minister, Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, says load reduction has already been eliminated in seven of the country’s nine provinces, well ahead of the department’s October target.

He says the remaining load reduction in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal is expected to be eliminated by March 2027.

Speaking in Pretoria on Tuesday, Ramokgopa unveiled a revised electricity pricing policy aimed at giving consumers greater transparency and certainty over electricity costs.

The minister says the framework seeks to align electricity tariffs with developments in the energy sector and move towards cost-reflective pricing, while protecting lower-income households and supporting industries under financial pressure.

One of the key changes will require the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) to publish a 10-year electricity price forecast.

Ramokgopa says this will give households, businesses and major investors a clearer picture of how electricity costs could change over time.

“We want everyone to have some degree of certainty on what will be the cost of electricity. We want to create a 10-year horizon,” he said.

Ramokgopa added that consumers should also be able to see exactly what they are paying for.

The revised policy proposes unbundled electricity bills, meaning consumer would receive as a clearer breakdown of costs rather than simply being presented with a final amount.

This would include the cost of energy generation, network charges and the cost of transporting electricity from generation facilities to consumers.

Ramokgopa says greater transparency should help consumers understand how municipalities and Eskom arrive at the amount charged on their electricity bills.

The revised policy is expected to be gazetted for public comment on Friday.

WATCH 🎥 | Part 1 MINISTER RAMOKGOPA OUTLINES SOUTH AFRICA’S REVISED ELECTRICITY PRICING POLICY

The Minister of Electricity and Energy, Dr. Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, today outlined South Africa’s Revised Electricity Pricing Policy.

As the country moves past the era of load… pic.twitter.com/2j4tRldKFN

— Department of Electricity and Energy (@DOEE_ZA) August 18, 2026