For years, South Africans knew Eskom as the company behind almost everything related to their electricity.

That is changing.

While the lights are still on, the bigger story is what is being built behind the scenes.

The Bigger Picture

Government is restructuring the electricity system around an independent Transmission System Operator, separate from Eskom.

President Cyril Ramaphosa endorsed the first phase of the Eskom Restructuring Task Team's report on 31 July 2026. The proposed changes are intended to create a more competitive electricity market, attract investment, improve energy security and support economic growth.

This does not mean Eskom is disappearing.

It means the electricity system is moving away from the old model in which Eskom dominated generation and transmission as one vertically integrated utility.

The Big Investment

This is where the change becomes significant.

South Africa needs a much bigger transmission network to connect new electricity generation and move power to where it is needed.

The wider Transmission Development Plan calls for more than 14,000 km of new transmission lines over the next decade.

The first phase of the Independent Transmission Programme covers 1,164 km of new 400kV transmission lines and associated infrastructure, including projects in Gauteng.

The estimated investment needed for the transmission expansion is about R440 billion, and government is looking to private investors to help fund and build the infrastructure.

What This Means for Joburg

Johannesburg's homes and businesses depend on electricity every day.

More transmission capacity can help connect new electricity generation to the national grid and support a system that has enough capacity for future demand.

Gauteng is already included in the first phase of the transmission programme.

The changes will take years, so this is not a promise of cheaper electricity tomorrow. But it is an important move towards a different electricity system, with more investment and competition.

Worth Knowing

South Africa has also made significant progress on the immediate electricity crisis.

Eskom reached 365 consecutive days without load shedding on 16 May 2026, the first full year without load shedding since 2018. Eskom attributes the improvement to better generation performance and its Generation Recovery Plan.

That makes the timing interesting.

South Africa is no longer only trying to get through the next power cut. It has an opportunity to use this period of improved supply to build the infrastructure needed for the future.

The Bottom Line

The real story is not that Eskom is disappearing. It is that South Africa is changing the electricity system built around Eskom for decades.

More competition, private investment and a much larger transmission network could give the country a stronger foundation for future electricity supply.

For Joburg residents, that may sound like a distant infrastructure story.

But ultimately, it comes down to something very familiar:

having enough reliable electricity when you need it.