In a media briefing on Monday, Minister of Electricity and Energy Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa lauded Eskom's winter energy availability factor hitting 70%, beating their own projections.

At the briefing, Ramokgopa heaped praise on Eskom group executive for generation Bheki Nxumalo and other members of the executive, as he announced that the utility's energy availability factor (EAF) was "exceeding even our own numbers".

The minister was saying that the percentage of time that electricity was available as required had increased to more than 15% above the same levels for this time last year, going far beyond what anyone on the team had expected to be possible in the middle of winter when peak electricity demand rises significantly.

Speaking about what he called the "stellar performance of the grid", Ramokgopa said "the numbers are far exceeding even our own expectations and projections of where we thought we will be this time of the year in the journey to recovery".

"We are getting closer to the resolution of the energy deficit."

Ramokgopa shared some details. "Over the past week, what we have seen as a trend, and it appears to be sustained now... Eskom has averaged 70% of the EAF." He emphasised that this was just for the past week and that the EAF year to date is 62%.

Eskom explains that the EAF is "the difference between the...