Blackouts by Winter Pollution by Summer Is South Africa’s Energy Strategy Killing Us?

Written By: Faith Jemosop

In the early hours of a chilly July morning in Soweto, 63-year-old Nomsa Mkhize lights a paraffin stove to warm her grandchildren’s tiny room. The electricity had cut out again overnight. “They cough all night now,” she says quietly, gesturing toward the children, swaddled in blankets. “I don’t know what’s worse freezing in the dark or breathing this smoke.”

Across South Africa, this story is becoming heartbreakingly common. The country’s deepening energy crisis has moved beyond the inconvenience of flickering lights. It’s morphing into a national health emergency.

South Africa’s energy policy anchored in coal dependency and punctuated by rolling blackouts has created a dangerous seasonal paradox: blackouts in winter, air pollution in summer, and a population trapped in a toxic loop.

Power Off, Pollution On

Eskom, the state-owned utility, has long powered South Africa with coal. In fact, about 80% of the country’s electricity is generated from coal, making it one of the most carbon-intensive power sectors in the world.

But now, decades of underinvestment, mismanagement, and aging infrastructure have turned Eskom into a symbol of national dysfunction. The result? Load shedding a term South Africans have come to dread has become the norm.

According to Eskom’s own data, 2023 saw over 280 days of scheduled power outages, and 2025 is on track to break that record. During these blackouts, households and small businesses turn to diesel generators, paraffin stoves, and even open fires further compounding indoor and outdoor air pollution.

This perfect storm is exposing a deeply disturbing reality: the fight for light is now a fight for breath.

The Toxic Air We’re Forced to Breathe

Air quality experts are sounding alarms. The Vaal Triangle, Mpumalanga Highveld, and parts of Gauteng consistently rank among the most polluted air basins in the world. According to the Centre for Environmental Rights  (CER), Eskom’s coal-fired power plants are responsible for 2,200 premature deaths annually due to respiratory illnesses linked to air pollution.

During periods of load shedding, these numbers spike.

Why? When the grid goes dark, residents revert to unregulated and often dangerous sources of energy. A 2024 study by the South African Medical Research Council found that particulate matter (PM2.5) levels during load shedding rose by up to 78% in urban townships. This fine dust penetrates deep into the lungs, increasing the risk of asthma, heart disease, and lung cancer.

Children and the elderly are the most vulnerable, breathing in the consequence of a failing grid every day.

Dr. Naledi Kgobe, a pulmonologist at Charlotte Maxeke Hospital in Johannesburg, sees the cost of South Africa’s energy strategy every day.

“Winter brings in patients who’ve inhaled toxic fumes from cooking indoors during blackouts. Then summer floods us with asthma and bronchitis cases because the air outside is just as bad,” she says. “It’s like holding your breath all year long.”

She emphasizes that the South Africa energy crisis 2025 is not just about electricity access it’s a public health emergency in slow motion.

Living Between Outages: A Human-Centered Crisis

In Khayelitsha, Cape Town, 28-year-old Tshepo Dlamini juggles two jobs. At night, he runs a small internet café powered by a backup generator. During blackouts, which often last up to six hours, he sees a sharp drop in customers.

“But the real pain is at home,” he says. “My daughter has asthma. When the power goes out, our air purifier stops. And when the generator runs, it makes her cough even more.”

Tshepo’s dilemma mirrors that of millions. As load shedding and air quality in South Africa worsen in tandem, it’s clear that energy instability isn’t just bad economics it’s lethal.

The Case for Urgent Transition

Experts say the solution lies in rapid, equitable energy reform.

South Africa’s pledge to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 is a hopeful headline, but the pace is too slow. According to the Climate Council of South Africa, transitioning away from coal by even 2035 would save an estimated 40,000 lives and reduce national healthcare costs by billions of rand.

Also read: If Africa Is So Sunny, Why Are Millions Still Living in the Dark?

Yet Eskom coal pollution and blackouts remain entrenched. Critics argue that fossil fuel interests and political inertia are delaying much-needed investment in renewable infrastructure, particularly solar and wind resources South Africa has in abundance.

International support, such as the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP), has promised $8.5 billion in funding from countries like Germany, France, the UK, and the US. But as of early 2025, very little of that money has translated into operational renewable energy projects.

What the Future Could and Should Look Like

Imagine a winter without blackouts. A summer without smog. Children breathing clean air, not paraffin fumes. It’s not a utopian fantasy it’s technically and economically feasible.

The technology exists. The political will, however, remains elusive.

If South Africa embraces a decentralized, renewable-first energy model, it could not only end the cycles of load shedding and air pollution, but also create green jobs, reduce healthcare burdens, and reposition itself as a leader in climate action.