How much did Eskom's profit after tax increase, and what were the main drivers behind this improvement?

Eskom's profit after tax more than doubled to 30.3 billion rand ($1.9 billion) for the year through March, up from 14 billion rand in 2025. The primary drivers were the end of load-shedding — with only 13 days of power cuts during the period — improved reliability of its coal-fired plants, a 10.6 billion rand reduction in spending on costly diesel-fired turbines, and electricity price increases.

What are Eskom's key strategic priorities following the end of load-shedding, and how is it responding to declining electricity sales?

Eskom’s next priorities include ensuring its recovery is durable, self-sustaining, and resilient amid a changing electricity market; reigniting industrial demand — exemplified by a deal to supply cheaper electricity to Glencore and Samancor Chrome ferrochrome smelters; and targeting emerging demand from data centers, electric vehicles, charging stations, and crypto miners (with advanced regulator discussions underway). Despite improved reliability and higher tariffs, electricity sales volumes fell 6.2%, driven by a 23% drop in industrial usage — continuing a decade-long trend of ~2% annual decline.