ACTIONSA has expressed concern over Eskom’s R3.6 billion diesel spend in just 30 days, calling it an “unaffordable illusion” used to mask South Africa’s ongoing electricity crisis.

The party says government claims of ending load shedding are misleading, with diesel-powered emergency generation simply substituting blackouts rather than solving the core issues.

ActionSA Member of Parliament, Alan Beesley, said: “South Africa hasn’t ended load shedding – we’ve simply replaced it with an unaffordable illusion, paid for by the taxpayer.”

Beesley said that between April 1 and 10, 2025, alone, Eskom burned R1.34 billion in diesel. Yet, Eskom’s Energy Availability Factor (EAF), the key metric for generation performance, sits at just 56.11 percent, well below the 70 percent target set by the Minister of Electricity.

This also reflects a decline from the same period last year, when the EAF was 58.96 percent. ActionSA says this proves there are fewer megawatts available now than a year ago, despite significantly higher spending.

“That is not a recovery – it is a cover-up with devastating fiscal consequences,'' Beesley warned.

According to Eskom’s 2024 data, diesel-fired generation via Open-Cycle Gas Turbines costs R6,579 per megawatt-hour, compared to R541 for coal and just R113 for nuclear.

ActionSA argues that billions are being wasted to keep the grid afloat when those funds could have been used to restore failing coal infrastructure. If the same amount of electricity had been produced using coal, the cost would have been a fraction, closer to R300 million.

Beesley added: “Eskom is burning billions, and the people of South Africa are being burned in the process.”

The party has called for immediate transparency and accountability. ActionSA is demanding that the Minister of Electricity, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, stop misleading the public about the cause of temporary supply stability, that the government publish a weekly dashboard of performance and spending, and that Eskom provide a credible, time-bound recovery plan for its coal fleet.

With the country facing a budget crunch and increased tax burdens on citizens, ActionSA argues that the government cannot afford to continue masking failure with expensive short-term fixes.

The current approach, the party says, diverts critical funds away from services like education, health care, and infrastructure while enabling mismanagement and corruption to continue unchecked.

ActionSA says it will continue to hold the government accountable and push for solutions that protect public resources and prioritise long-term energy stability.