Durban just made a move that shows us what the future of electricity in Southern Africa will look like. The eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality, South Africa’s third-largest city, has received approval to buy its own power, bypassing Eskom.
The plan is to roll out 400MW through solar and gas, starting with solar in December 2025 and gas-to-power plants in 2026. The goal is fewer blackouts and more control over the city’s energy. But the gas stuff might be a stretch, there’s no guaranteed supply or infrastructure yet.
Across the border, Zimbabwe is quietly following a similar path. Cabinet approved allowing private companies to generate, distribute, and transmit electricity in new suburban developments.
These companies will act as licensed retailers, complementing ZESA’s work where it struggles to reach households. Zambia has been doing this for years, with Copperbelt Energy Company and North Western Energy Company handling distribution in parts of the country.
What’s driving this shift? Simple: the national utilities aren’t cutting it. The Minister of Energy and Power Development, July Moyo, is quoted saying:
ZESA’s investment might not be enough to take electricity to all households. So we invite the private sector to consider becoming retailers in those areas.
Our position, which Cabinet has already agreed to, is that we should invite the private sector.
Eskom is notorious for rolling blackouts, and ZESA struggles to expand services without running into political and financial roadblocks.
Governments want to keep prices low, avoid public backlash, and maintain political control, but that often leaves utilities underfunded and unable to invest in infrastructure.
The result is a reluctant but necessary liberalisation. Where governments fail to deliver reliable electricity, private players are stepping in, not because anyone wanted to, but because they have to.
The public-good argument for national utilities is strong: electricity is strategic, universal access is important, and governments can plan long-term. But in practice across SADC, political pressures and poor management mean that relying solely on national utilities often backfires.
Durban, Harare, Lusaka, they all tell the same story: when the lights won’t come on, private power isn’t just an option, it’s the solution. The thousands of Zimbabwean households that largely rely on their own solar solutions are already living this reality.
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