Large Infrastructure Challenges: South Africa and DR Congo

The report highlights the impact of corruption and inefficiency on energy projects in South Africa and the DR Congo. In South Africa, the Medupi and Kusile coal plants suffered from massive cost overruns and delays, contributing to unsustainable debt for Eskom and frequent blackouts, though performance improved by 2025. In the DR Congo, the Grand Inga Hydropower Project, specifically Inga III, has been delayed for decades due to funding and transparency issues, leaving the country with unreliable electricity despite significant hydropower potential.

• Corruption and political interference led to severe cost overruns and delays for South Africa's Medupi and Kusile coal power stations. Medupi's costs tripled from an initial 2007 budget of R80 billion (US$11.19 billion), and Kusile's budget doubled by 2020, with completion pushed to 2025.
• South Africa experienced frequent rolling blackouts in the mid-2010s due to underinvestment, poor maintenance, and delayed procurement, though Eskom recorded 231 consecutive days without load shedding in 2025.
• The Democratic Republic of Congo possesses an estimated 100 GW of hydropower potential, but the state utility, Société Nationale d'Électricité (SNEL), is inefficient and loses nearly half of generated electricity through outdated infrastructure.
• The Inga III phase of the Grand Inga Hydropower Project, estimated at US$14 billion for 4.8 GW, has been delayed for decades; it is now unlikely to be completed before 2030 following the World Bank's 2016 suspension of funding over transparency concerns.

APA

Yeboua, K. (2026). Large Infrastructure Challenges: South Africa and DR Congo. Institute for Security Studies. https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=11-large-infrastructure&topic=06-challenges-sa-congo

Chicago

Yeboua, Kouassi. Large Infrastructure Challenges: South Africa and DR Congo. Institute for Security Studies, 2026. https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=11-large-infrastructure&topic=06-challenges-sa-congo.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Yeboua |first1=Kouassi |title=Large Infrastructure Challenges: South Africa and DR Congo |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=25 May 2026 |url=https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=11-large-infrastructure&topic=06-challenges-sa-congo |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{yeboua2026large, author = {Yeboua, Kouassi}, title = {{Large Infrastructure Challenges: South Africa and DR Congo}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2026}, month = may, url = {https://futures.issafrica.org/thematic/guide.pdf?thematic=11-large-infrastructure&topic=06-challenges-sa-congo}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }