Nyati gets three more years at Eskom as utility enters next phase of reform
Eskom chair Mteto Nyati
Electricity and Energy Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa confirmed on Friday that Nyati would remain chairman of Eskom’s board from 1 November, extending his tenure at a time when the utility has made a marked recovery in generation performance.
Nyati, who took over as chair in 2023 amid some of Eskom’s worst load-shedding, was due to leave the position at the end of October. His reappointment provides continuity as Eskom enters what government has described as a new phase of its turnaround.
South Africa has now gone more than 490 days without load-shedding, while Eskom reported a second consecutive annual profit for the financial year ended March 2026. Its energy availability factor also improved significantly during the period.
Ramokgopa said Cabinet had concluded that Nyati was the appropriate person to continue leading the board.
“If it ain’t broken, why fix it?” the minister said.
But the challenges facing Eskom are changing.
The utility is moving beyond the immediate task of restoring generation capacity and must now contend with the restructuring of the electricity market, the separation of its transmission business, the integration of new generation and the need to improve the affordability of electricity.
The government is pursuing the development of an independent transmission system operator as part of broader reforms aimed at opening the electricity market to greater competition and providing non-discriminatory access to the grid.
Ramokgopa also said government does not expect Eskom to require further bailouts and indicated that consumers should not expect sustained double-digit electricity tariff increases.
The comments come as Eskom attempts to consolidate the gains made during its operational recovery while reducing its dependence on state support.
The utility’s latest financial results showed a profit before tax of R39.4bn and EBITDA of R108.6bn for the 2026 financial year.
For Nyati, the next three years will therefore be less about restoring power stations from crisis levels and more about positioning Eskom for a transformed electricity market.
The board will have to oversee the utility’s continued unbundling while balancing its commercial sustainability with its role as the country’s dominant electricity provider.
Nyati has previously said the utility must ultimately deliver electricity that is not only reliable but affordable, as Eskom seeks to rebuild public and investor confidence.
Ramokgopa said Eskom had reached an “inflection point”, with the focus now shifting towards creating the conditions for investment, industrial growth and new entrants into the electricity market.
“We have come out of a period of darkness,” he said.
The challenge for Nyati’s renewed term will be turning Eskom’s operational recovery into a sustainable business capable of supporting South Africa’s next phase of economic and energy-sector growth.