AfrElec: South Africa’s NCOP passes electricity regulation bill ending Eskom’s monopoly

South Africa’s National Council of Provinces (NCOP) passed the Electricity Regulation Amendment (ERA) bill on May 16, which, once signed into law by President Cyril Ramaphosa, will end state-run power utility Eskom’s 100-year monopoly.

The bill will revolutionise South Africa’s electricity supply industry, introducing competition into the electricity market. It is seen as one of Ramaphosa’s most important economic reforms and is crucial to Eskom’s unbundling, News24 reports.

The bill was first approved by the Cabinet in March 2023, but administrative errors meant that the Parliament only began processing it in August. The last-minute rush to pass it before the Parliament is dissolved ahead of the general election resulted in two of the nine provinces not supporting the bill in the NCOP.

The Democratic Alliance (DA)-led Western Cape province voted against it on the grounds that it did not have enough time to engage the public in meaningful consultation. Also, the Free State province did not get a mandate from the public because its provincial government was already dissolved for the election campaign.

However, the bill was previously supported by the DA when it was passed by the

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