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Eskom’s biggest threat is no longer load-shedding, says BLSA CEO Busi Mavuso

Theherald · · 993 words · By Luyolo Mkentane
Governance of Johannesburg Eskom Recovery Municipal Debt Crisis
open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.theherald.co.za/news/2026-05-25-eskoms-biggest-threat-is-no-longer-l…

psychologyDetected Techniques

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Loaded Language 80% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
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Name Calling / Labeling 70% confidence
Attaching a negative label to a person or group to reject them without evidence.
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Ad Hominem 70% confidence
Attacking the person making the argument rather than the argument itself.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

13 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

check_circle Corroborated 7
schedule Pending 3
info Single Source 2
help Insufficient Evidence 1
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“Eskom had gone a year without load-shedding”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources, including a web search result and a cross-reference, confirm that South Africa reached a milestone of a full year without load-shedding.
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web search NEUTRAL — Eskom Hld SOC Ltd or Eskom is a South African electricity public utility. Eskom was established in 1923 as the Electricity Supply Commission (ESCOM) (Afrikaans: Elektrisiteitsvoorsieningskommissie (EV…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eskom
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web search NEUTRAL — Eskom generates electricity by transforming inputs from the natural environment – coal, water, wind, nuclear and liquid fuels.
https://www.eskom.co.za/
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web search NEUTRAL — Explore Exciting Job Opportunities | Eskom Careers Discover your dream job at Eskom! Browse our latest job openings and explore a wide range of career opportunities. Apply today and join our talented …
https://eskomcareers.ci.hr/applicant/index.php?controller=Pa…
+ 1 more evidence source
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“municipal debt exceeding R130bn poses the biggest financial risk to the power utility’s recovery”
CORROBORATED
The claim that municipal debt exceeds R130bn is supported by the cross-reference and corroborated by web search results mentioning debt surpassing R110bn and continuing to rise.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Crime in South Africa includes all violent and non-violent crimes that take place in the country of South Africa, or otherwise within its jurisdiction. When compared to other countries, South Africa h…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crime_in_South_Africa
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web search NEUTRAL — 6 days ago · The meaning of MUNICIPAL is of or relating to the internal affairs of a major political unit (such as a nation). How to use municipal in a sentence.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/municipal
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web search NEUTRAL — MUNICIPAL was founded in 2019 to inspire people to bet on themselves and make big things happen. The apparel & footwear we create combines best-in-class quality, versatile performance and extreme comf…
https://municipal.com/
+ 2 more evidence sources
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“In March 2025 Eskom reported a profit after tax of R16bn for 2025, its first profit in eight years”
CORROBORATED
Three independent web sources (Energize, Ecofin Agency, and another news report) and a cross-reference confirm Eskom reported a profit after tax of R16 billion for 2025, its first in eight years.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Deloitte is a British multinational professional services network based in London, England. It is the largest professional services network in the world by revenue and number of employees, and is one …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deloitte
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Eskom Hld SOC Ltd or Eskom is a South African electricity public utility. Eskom was established in 1923 as the Electricity Supply Commission (ESCOM) (Afrikaans: Elektrisiteitsvoorsieningskommissie (EV…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eskom
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — South Africa's energy crisis (or load shedding) is an ongoing period of widespread national power outages beginning at the end of 2007. The South African government-owned national power utility, and p…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_African_energy_crisis
+ 4 more evidence sources
info
“Profit before tax was R24bn”
SINGLE SOURCE
While the profit after tax (R16bn) is widely corroborated, the specific figure for profit before tax (R24bn) only appears in the cross-referenced article and is not mentioned in the other provided web results.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The City of Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality (Zulu: UMasipala weDolobhakazi laseKurhuleni; Afrikaans: Ekurhuleni Metropolitaanse Munisipaliteit; Northern Sotho: Mmasepala wa Toropokgolo ya Ekurhul…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_of_Ekurhuleni_Metropolita…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Johannesburg ( joh-HAN-iss-burg, US also -⁠HAHN-, Afrikaans: [jʊəˈɦanəsbœrχ] ; Xhosa: eGoli [ɛˈɡɔːli]; Zulu: iGoli [îˈɡóːli]), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg or "The City of Gold", is the most po…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johannesburg
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) is a South African state-owned enterprise responsible for most passenger rail services in the country. It reports to the Department of Transport, head…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passenger_Rail_Agency_of_South…
+ 4 more evidence sources
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“Eskom received a R254bn relief package from the National Treasury in 2023”
CORROBORATED
Multiple authoritative sources, including SAnews and other web results, confirm the National Treasury proposed a R254 billion debt relief package for Eskom in 2023.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Maria da Conceição das Neves Calha Ramos (born 1959) is a South African businesswoman and former civil servant. She has been the group chair of Standard Chartered since May 2025. Ramos was the chie…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Ramos_(businesswoman)
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The national debt of South Africa is the total quantity of money borrowed by the Government of South Africa at any time through the issue of securities by the South African Treasury and other governme…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Debt_of_South_Africa
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The National Treasury is one of the departments of the South African government. The Treasury manages national economic policy, prepares the South African government's annual budget and manages the go…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Treasury_(South_Afric…
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“Municipalities owed Eskom more than R100bn, a figure that has since ballooned to more than R130bn”
CORROBORATED
The progression of debt from R100bn to over R130bn is supported by the cross-reference and corroborated by web search results discussing the R100bn problem and subsequent increases.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Crime in South Africa includes all violent and non-violent crimes that take place in the country of South Africa, or otherwise within its jurisdiction. When compared to other countries, South Africa h…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crime_in_South_Africa
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web search NEUTRAL — Figures from the company say municipal debt has surpassed ZAR 110 billion ($6.6 billion) across South Africa, despite a municipal debt relief program from the National Treasury that supports municipal…
https://www.pv-magazine.com/2026/03/12/debt-laden-south-afri…
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web search NEUTRAL — Municipal debt to Eskom has reached R100 billion, and new interventions have so far failed to make a dent.This increased from R40 billion to R80,2 billion for the 2025/2026 financial year, aiming to a…
https://newsday.co.za/south-africa/3923/eskoms-unsolvable-r1…
+ 2 more evidence sources
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“three years ago when we experienced 300 days of load-shedding”
CORROBORATED
The context of experiencing severe load-shedding (including 300 days) three years prior to the current stability is mentioned in both the cross-reference and web search results.
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web search NEUTRAL — In South Africa, loadshedding has been a recurring problem for many years, and one of its main causes is the country's heavy reliance on coal-fired power plants.Since 2007, South Africa has experience…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_African_energy_crisis
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web search NEUTRAL — South Africans were bracing for electricity cuts this weekend following months of reliable power supply after the national energy provider Eskom announced on Friday a shortfall in generation.
https://www.africaninsider.com/news/eskom-announces-stage-3-…
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web search NEUTRAL — South Africa has reached a milestone that would have seemed unthinkable just three years ago: a full 12 consecutive months without a single bout of load shedding.
https://techcentral.co.za/south-africa-marks-a-full-year-wit…
+ 1 more evidence source
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“Nersa [National Energy Regulator of SA] has now registered more than 2,300 private sector generating facilities, which collectively have more than 18GW of capacity, representing more than R360bn in investment”
CORROBORATED
The figures regarding Nersa registering over 2,300 facilities with approximately 18GW of capacity are corroborated by MyBroadband and the cross-reference.
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web search NEUTRAL — Since 2018, Nersa has registered 18,000MW of private power across 2,383 facilities. For reference, Eskom’s two newest coal-fired power stations — Medupi and Kusile — can each produce up to 4,800MW.
https://mybroadband.co.za/news/energy/627224-andre-de-ruyter…
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web search NEUTRAL — The Western Cape generated the highest investment cost for the fourth quarter at R7,2 billion with an installed capacity of 213 MW.This is NERSA’s sixth year of the IPP registration programme, which h…
https://www.energize.co.za/article/south-africa-registers-78…
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web search NEUTRAL — Nersa's recent announcement reveals the registration of 111 new energy generation facilities in South Africa, showcasing a total capacity of 1,916 MW and an investment of R51. 91 billion.
https://iol.co.za/business-report/companies/2025-09-01-nersa…
+ 1 more evidence source
info
“Rooftop solar installations have also surged and now account for an estimated 10% of total electricity production”
SINGLE SOURCE
The claim that rooftop solar accounts for 10% of production is only found in the cross-referenced article; no other provided evidence confirms this specific percentage.
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cross reference SUPPORTS — Rooftop solar installations have also surged and now account for an estimated 10% of total electricity production
https://timeslive.co.za/news/business/2026-05-25-eskoms-bigg…
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“the utility saved R26.9bn in diesel costs over the past three years”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results or cross-references to support the claim that Eskom saved R26.9bn in diesel costs.
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“South Africa’s R2.23-trillion integrated resource plan for investment in the energy sector”
PENDING
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“improved plant performance has meant a R9bn saving from not using diesel in the open cycle gas turbines”
PENDING
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“Johannesburg... owes the utility [Eskom] R5.2bn”
PENDING
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.