South Africa's energy regulator on Thursday granted state power utility Eskom an average tariff increase of 12.7% for 2025/26, less than the debt-laden company had requested. Eskom had sought tariff increases of roughly 36% from April,

The rand and oil prices are trading much higher than in December, leading to the under-recovery. South African motorists have already had a tough start to the year, with a 19 cents per litre hike in petrol prices at the beginning of January. This, combined with the incoming hike for February, is likely to put upward pressure on inflation.