South Africa's Power and Water Outages: Where Things Stand in 2026

Quick answer: National load-shedding has been largely absent since mid-May 2025. By 22 April 2026 Eskom had gone 341 days in a row without it and forecast no load-shedding for winter 2026. But two problems remain. Load reduction still cuts power to some high-loss areas at peak times, and water outages in Johannesburg and other Gauteng areas can last days, even weeks, after maintenance or breakdowns. A small stock of water, light and power covers both.

South Africans have more experience of rolling blackouts than almost anyone. This post sets out what has changed, what hasn’t, and how to stay comfortable when either the lights or the taps go off.

A short history of load-shedding

Load-shedding is Eskom’s planned, rotating power cut. It is used to stop the national grid collapsing when there is not enough generating capacity. It first began in 2007–2008.

It became part of daily life over the following years and peaked in 2023, the worst year on record. By mid-December 2023, the country had already had 332 days of load-shedding that year, including 74 days at Stage 6. That compared with 205 days in 2022.

Things then improved quickly:

Summer 2023–24: 176 days of load-shedding.
Summer 2024–25: 13 days.
Winter 2025: Eskom reported just 26 hours of load-shedding in the whole 2025–26 financial year, which began in April 2025.
Since mid-May 2025: no national load-shedding. Eskom counted 231 consecutive days on 2 January 2026 and 341 days on 22 April 2026.

Where Eskom stands in 2026

At its winter outlook briefing on 22 April 2026, Eskom projected no load-shedding from 1 April to 31 August 2026. It credited its Generation Recovery Plan. The share of its fleet available to generate (the “energy availability factor”) rose from about 55% in 2023 to about 65% in the 2026 financial year. Breakdowns fell from about 16.5 GW to about 9.1 GW.

That is a real change. But a stable grid does not mean you will never lose power.

Load reduction is not load-shedding

Load reduction is different. Eskom switches off power to specific areas during peak hours where networks are overloaded, often because of illegal connections and meter bypassing. The energy minister drew this distinction in September 2025.

In January 2026 Eskom said load reduction affected about 1.69 million customers and that it aims to end it by 2027, using smart meters and other measures.
By April 2026 more than 340,000 customers had been taken off load reduction schedules, and the Northern Cape and Western Cape were fully cleared.

So your street can still go dark in the evening on a day when Eskom reports another record run. Local faults, cable theft and storms also cause outages that have nothing to do with the national grid.

Water outages: the bigger daily risk in Gauteng

For many households, especially in Johannesburg, water has become the more pressing problem.

Planned maintenance

Rand Water supplies bulk water to Johannesburg and other Gauteng municipalities. It has been carrying out major maintenance to protect long-term supply:

January 2026: a shutdown of at least 54 hours affected five reservoir systems in western Johannesburg and Soweto. Officials said full recovery would take about seven days after pumping restarted. Tankers supplied affected areas.
Late May to 17 July 2026: Rand Water and Eskom ran 19 days of phased maintenance on the Palmiet and Zuikerbosch systems. Residents were asked to use water sparingly.
17 July 2026: a 12-hour shutdown cut pumping on the Palmiet system by 78% and on the Eikenhof and Zwartkopjes systems by 50%, affecting hundreds of suburbs from Sandton to Soweto. Daily Maverick reported that earlier rounds had left some communities without water for more than two weeks.

Breakdowns

Unplanned problems add to this. In February 2026, during a heatwave, a motor explosion at the Zuikerbosch treatment plant, a reservoir leak and low reservoir levels left parts of Johannesburg, including Soweto, Midrand and Diepsloot, without water. Some residents reported outages of more than two weeks, and some schools and businesses closed.

The link between power and water

Water and power are connected. Johannesburg Water has said that load-shedding affects its ability to pump water from reservoirs up to towers, which hits higher-lying areas first. Even with a stable grid, a local power fault at a pump station can have the same effect.

The key lesson: when supply returns, it may take days for pressure to recover, because reservoirs need time to refill.

How to prepare for both

The good news is that the same small kit covers power cuts and water cuts.

If this happens	What you need
Power off for a few hours (load reduction, faults)	Torches, a charged power bank, a gas stove, a small UPS for the router
Power off for a day or more	Food that needs little cooking, cooler boxes, a battery or solar light per room
Water off for 1–3 days	Stored drinking water, wet wipes, a bucket for flushing
Water off for a week or more	More stored water, a refill plan (tankers, friends in other areas), paper plates

Water

Store drinking water before planned shutdowns. Johannesburg Water posts notices; fill clean containers a day or two before.
Keep a base stock all the time for unplanned outages. Our guide on how much water to store gives amounts per person and container tips.
Save the best water for drinking and cooking. Use leftover washing water to flush toilets.
Turn off the geyser and water-using appliances if supply stops, and use water sparingly when it returns.
Report faults to Johannesburg Water rather than assuming someone else has.

Power

Keep lighting and charging simple: a torch per person, LED lanterns and charged power banks.
Cook with gas (outdoors or in a well-ventilated space) and keep a spare cylinder.
Protect electronics with surge protectors, because power can return with spikes.
Never run a generator indoors. Our power outage guide covers fridge food safety and carbon monoxide.

Medicines and vulnerable people

If anyone uses fridge medicines such as insulin, or powered medical devices, have a plan for both power and water cuts. See medications in emergencies.

Want to see how long your household would cope? Check how many days your household would last. The free calculator lets you enter your local currency and current supplies.

What this means for you, wherever you live

South Africa shows that a grid can recover fast, but local networks, water systems and storms can still leave you without services. Many governments now advise keeping enough water and food for at least three days. South African households already know why.

Checklist

Follow Eskom, your municipality and your water utility for official schedules and updates.

Sources & further reading

Every fact in this post was checked against the sources listed above on 1 November 2026. Advice changes: always follow your local authorities.