Source: President of South Africa –
Minister of Electricity and Energy, Dr Kgosientso Ramokgopa;
Premier of Mpumalanga, Mr Mandla Ndlovu;
Chairperson of the Eskom Board, Mr Mteto Nyati;
Group CEO of Eskom, Mr Dan Marokane;
Executive Mayor of Nkangala District Municipality, Cllr Thomas Ngwenya;
Executive Mayor of the Emalahleni Local Municipality, Cllr Vusi Nhlapo;
Leaders of organised labour;
Representatives of business and industry;
Traditional leaders and Amakhosi present;
The staff and leadership of Kusile power station and all Eskom employees;
Distinguished guests;
Ladies and gentlemen;
It is a pleasure to be here to bear witness to the great strides Eskom has made towards restoring our country’s energy security.
In September last year, the final unit at Kusile was brought online.
This is now a fully operational station contributes a total of 4,800 megawatts to the national grid.
Kusile means “the dawn has come”, which speaks directly to this moment in our national journey.
Kusile’s performance benchmarks are impressive.
It is now one of the most reliable stations in the Eskom fleet, achieving an average Energy Availability Factor of 74 percent, increasing to 90 percent on occasion.
With the final unit coming online last year, Eskom’s build programme is now complete.
The build programme created nearly 40,000 jobs, with more than half of these directly linked to Kusile, and Eskom has invested heavily in surrounding communities.
Eskom now operates and manages Kusile with a permanent workforce of over 600 full‑time employees, supported by approximately 1,000 contractors during major plant maintenance periods.
These are valuable jobs, skills and opportunities, supporting families, strengthening communities and building local economies.
This station, together with Medupi in Limpopo, is the backbone of South Africa’s electricity supply.
When operating at full capacity, these two stations are capable of delivering 9,600 megawatts.
Both of these stations are designed for an operational lifespan of 50 years and will remain key to South Africa’s electricity supply for many years to come.
What has been achieved here at Kusile – and indeed across all Eskom’s power stations – is a testament to discipline, consistency and resilience.
These achievements justify our decision to prioritise Eskom’s recovery in the National Energy Action Plan that we announced in 2022.
At the time the plan was announced, our country was experiencing severe load shedding, which disrupted peoples’ lives, constrained economic growth and eroded business and investor confidence.
Today, we are approaching 365 consecutive days without load shedding.
In the last financial year, Eskom’s Energy Availability Factor increased to 65 percent.
South Africa’s improved energy supply is a welcome relief for millions of households and businesses across the country.
It is also part of a wider economic recovery that is bringing renewed confidence to investors, and part of our broader goal of achieving higher, inclusive growth that creates jobs.
This restored capacity is now being put to productive use, supporting industry and safeguarding jobs.
This power station is equipped with state-of-the-art technology to reduce harmful emissions, and will play a key role as part of a diverse and low-carbon energy mix alongside renewable energy technologies.
All of this progress is the result of tough choices, rigorous maintenance and operational discipline across the generation fleet.
It is thanks to the visionary leadership at Eskom and to the hard work of Eskom’s 40,000 employees, engineers, technicians, artisans, operators and support staff.
For this our nation thanks each and every one of you.
We must also thank our social partners, who, among other things, have provided resources and expertise to support Eskom’s recovery efforts.
We must acknowledge that Kusile has had a difficult journey.
Kusile has been plagued by challenges nearly throughout the project lifespan, including overruns, massive cost escalations, technical problems and issues with contractor performance.
The State Capture Commission uncovered widescale corruption and looting at Kusile that nearly brought Eskom to financial ruin.
I wish to acknowledge Eskom’s leadership for supporting the efforts of our law enforcement authorities to recover stolen money and hold those found guilty accountable.
This experience has sharpened our resolve to ensure that projects of this scale adhere to the highest standards of governance, due diligence, proper financial controls and accountability.
This is all the more critical at a time when we have embarked on the most ambitious infrastructure build in South Africa’s history.
Over the next three years the state will be investing R1 trillion to build and maintain public infrastructure across the country.
We are determined that all infrastructure projects deliver value for South Africans and are planned, financed, constructed and maintained in the strictest compliance with the law.
Let us ensure that this power station and all our strategic assets are managed with integrity and foresight, so that they may serve the country into the future.
Energy security is vital to the security and well-being of our nation.
It underpins economic growth, job creation and social stability. It shapes the prospects of families and communities across our country.
That is why we are in the process of the most fundamental reform of our electricity sector in more than a century, which will modernise our energy system, enable significant new investment and lower the cost of electricity for all South Africans.
Eskom is at the heart of this transformation, providing reliable power to millions of homes and businesses while positioning itself for the energy system of the future.
As we undertake this reform process and as we introduce competition, we will ensure Eskom’s sustainability and the security of our electricity supply for future generations.
The completion of Kusile marks a new beginning.
Exactly 120 years ago this week, Pixley ka Isaka Seme delivered his seminal speech on the ‘Regeneration of Africa’ at Columbia University in New York.
He said: “The brighter day is rising upon Africa.”
As we stand at Kusile, as we stand at this dawn, we are reminded of our shared responsibility to ensure that these first rays of light prove to be the beginning of a brighter day for all our people, for our country and for our continent.
I thank you.
