It has been quite some time since I heard someone complain about loadshedding. For months now, lights have stayed on; a quiet but powerful signal that Eskom is finally turning the corner.
Across another critical arm of public service delivery, the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) too seems to be finding its rhythm again, restoring train services, rebuilding trust and showing what can happen when leadership and accountability align.
After years of grinding losses, service crises and public scepticism, a recent string of positive news from both entities suggests that the tide is turning.
Eskom’s announcement of its first profit in eight years is a significant event in South Africa’s economic endeavours. Impressively, it recorded R23.9-billion profit before tax.
The financial recovery coincided with a dramatic decrease in loadshedding, with the country experiencing uninterrupted power supply on 96% of the days in the reporting period.
The financial year 2025 results demonstrate the recovery of operational and financial performance.
These improvements are already sending ripples across the economy. For the first time in nearly a decade, the country can begin to plan, produce and grow without the persistent shadow of power cuts. Businesses are producing with fewer interruptions, households have regained a sense of normalcy, and public confidence is rising.
The Eskom profit will be reinvested into critical infrastructure, creating a cycle where financial health directly supports operational stability.
Prasa’s story is equally compelling.
Its turnaround was brought about by gradual reforms, with the passenger rail agency recently achieving its first unqualified audit in nine years and improving its performance plan from about 16% during the outbreak of Covid-19 to an impressive 87%.
Like Eskom, Prasa’s resurrection is felt in the country.
The agency’s progress is visible on the ground from refurbished stations, the return of key commuter lines such as Naledi to Johannesburg, and the successful deployment of its modern blue and white trains, the electric multiple units.
It is evident that the work undertaken by Prasa to reinstate rail services and refurbish the infrastructure is critical for the economy and millions of South Africans who rely on rail transport to commute to work and pursue other opportunities.
For example, in early September, Prasa demonstrated its capability and safely transported thousands of rugby fans to and from Park Station to Johannesburg’s Emirates Airline Park Stadium to watch the epic match between the Springboks and
All Blacks.
Perhaps most symbolic is the visible improvement in commuter confidence; people are once again using trains to get to work and back home, something that was unthinkable a few years ago.
In both cases, these are not merely administrative wins; they are tangible victories for the South Africans and a sign that the relentless focus on -governance and infrastructure is finally yielding results.
Of course, challenges remain for both Eskom and Prasa, but the turnaround is real and it matters.
The lessons learnt are that it is broader than transport or electricity; it is that reform, no matter how painful, even in the most defeated institutions, is possible with consistency and courage.
Both agencies displayed credible management, operational ability and accountability to deliver on their mandates.
- Baloyi is deputy government spokesperson at the GCIS
