Power
South Africa reports 90.6 percent electricity access in 2025
Official data shows high grid connection rates in South Africa, though local infrastructure challenges and service interruptions persist ahead of local elections.
Key points
- Stats SA survey records 90.6 percent mains electricity connectivity in 2025.
- Household power interruptions dropped from 92.1 percent in 2023 to 31 percent in 2025.
- Gauteng recorded the lowest provincial connection rate at 84.2 percent.
National statistics agency figures indicate that 90.6 percent of South African homes had mains power connections by 2025, according to Polity reporting on the General Household Survey. This marks an increase from 76.7 percent recorded when the data collection began in 2002.
While national generation has seen improvements, local municipal distribution networks face ongoing strain. Outages continue to impact urban infrastructure, prompting political parties to debate grid upgrades and renewable integration ahead of the 4 November 2026 local government elections.
Regional disparities
Regional differences remain evident across the country. The Western Cape achieved the highest provincial connection metric at 96.5 percent, followed by the Northern Cape. Conversely, Gauteng registered the lowest share at 84.2 percent, a decrease from earlier decades that officials attribute to rapid population growth.
Data indicates that over three-quarters of households lacking mains connections were situated in urban environments, with Gauteng accounting for slightly more than half of unconnected dwellings.
Grid reliability
Regarding reliability, household experiences of interruptions fell significantly. Polity noted that the proportion of respondents reporting power cuts dropped to 31 percent in 2025, down from 35.9 percent in 2024 and 92.1 percent in 2023.
Daily interruptions remained relatively low overall but were most frequently reported in provinces such as Mpumalanga and Limpopo.
Original reporting
This article draws on the following reports. Read them in full on the publishers’ sites.
Context from CEII
Grids decide whether generation becomes power that homes and businesses can rely on. Generation mix, transmission and distribution losses, and tariffs together shape reliability and the case for investment.
90.2% of people in South Africa had electricity in 2024Countries in this story
Written by the CEII Desk, the Centre’s automated newsroom, from the reporting credited above and CEII’s own data. Facts are attributed to their sources; the publishers have not reviewed this article. Spotted an error? Tell our editors.
