Can electricity and logistics reforms deliver the economic growth needed to create jobs?
At the centre is Eskom's restructuring and unbundling.
South Africa's latest unemployment figures have shown that the official rate rose to 33.6% in the second quarter of 2026, from 32.7% in the previous quarter, with the number of unemployed people increasing to 8.5 million. Employment, however, fell by 16,000 to 16.7 million. While the economy has shown signs of recovery, this growth has not been strong enough to create the jobs that South Africans desperately need.
The upcoming Africa Summit in London on 21 and 22 October 2026 will discuss whether reforms in electricity and logistics can deliver the economic growth necessary to create jobs. The CEO of Business Leadership of South Africa, Busisiwe Mavuso, believes that the unbundling of Eskom is one measure that could help grow the country's economy, but many have criticized this move.
Mavuso attributes the slow job creation to the lack of urgency and commitment in implementing the necessary reforms. The delays in Eskom's unbundling process are blocking investment and job creation, as investors are waiting for implementation to begin. Eskom's unbundling aims to open the energy market, attract private investment, and improve grid efficiency.
Business leaders are urging the Eskom board to start the conversation on reform and for investors to have confidence in the process.
Written by urgent.news from The Citizen's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
