Eskom is implementing the tariff adjustments to come into effect for the 2026/27 financial year, in line with the electricity price increase approved by the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) on 5 March 2026. This will see an average electricity price increase of 8.76% for customers supplied directly by Eskom take effect from 1 April 2026.
For customers supplied directly by Eskom, electricity prices will increase by about 9% from 1 April 2026.
Municipal bulk purchasers will implement their tariff increases, averaging 9.01%, from 1 July 2026, in line with the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA), which requires municipalities to implement tariff changes at the start of their financial year.
Eskom’s Group Chief Financial Officer, Calib Cassim reaffirmed that Eskom is working to ensure future tariff increase requests remain reasonable, recognising the affordability pressures on residential and business customers. “Achieving this depends on disciplined financial management and finding smarter, more efficient ways of operating,” Cassim said.
The tariff increase supports Eskom’s ability to provide a stable and reliable electricity supply. Eskom’s revenue requirement covers the cost of generating, transmitting and distributing electricity, as well as moving towards what the utility describes as a fair return needed to maintain and invest in critical infrastructure. NERSA considered both customer affordability and the long‑term sustainability of the electricity system.
Eskom also reassures customers that subsidised tariffs remain in place.
- Home-light tariffs continue to be subsidised, with these subsidies recovered through the Affordability Subsidy Charge.
- Rural tariffs remain subsidised allowing for higher network costs in those areas.
- These network‑related subsidies, including those benefiting Home-light customers, are recovered through the Electrification and Rural Subsidy (ERS) charge and the Low‑Voltage charge.
Through these measures the utility continues to ensure that electricity remains accessible and affordable for low‑income and rural households.
Over the past three years, Eskom has made steady progress in improving the performance of its generation fleet. The Energy Availability Factor (EAF) has risen to 65.85% year‑to‑date (1 April 2025 to 12 March 2026), with the fleet reaching or exceeding 70% on 83 occasions so far. The baseload units that anchor the system 24/7 have stabilised significantly, improving from 9% availability two years ago to being available more than 98% of the time today.
Eskom states that it remains committed to transparent communication, disciplined financial management and continued operational improvements that support a dependable electricity supply for all South Africans.
The table below sets out the NERSA decision on tariff adjustment for FY 2027 for various customer categories.
Tariff details
Customers can check their detailed tariffs, as approved by NERSA, on Eskom’s website. The link to access these tariffs is: https://www.eskom.co.za/distribution/tariffs-and-charges/
This is only applicable to customers that purchase electricity from Eskom. Customers purchasing electricity from municipalities will need to await communication from their municipalities.
For more information visit: www.eskom.co.za
