South Africa reached 300 consecutive days without load shedding, with Eskom reporting its energy availability factor at 65.85% for the financial year. Unplanned outages dropped 53% year-on-year to 7.22GW, and diesel expenditure fell by R8.58-billion (57.35%) compared to the prior period. Eskom holds 5.86GW in cold reserve. On the distribution side, illegal connections and meter tampering remain challenges, prompting a phased load reduction elimination programme targeting 971 feeders by 2027. So far, 444,062 smart meters have been installed nationally, though installation teams face violent resistance that has delayed around 122,000 conversions. Free basic electricity beneficiaries have grown 20% to an average of 582,110 this financial year.
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