There is a "clear danger" that Eskom could default on its debt, S&P Global Ratings has said. "We are very concerned about liquidity issues," Konrad Reuss, MD of S&P for Sub-Saharan Africa, said at an event in Johannesburg Thursday. Eskom is the biggest recipient of state guarantees at a time when domestic power demand is the lowest in more than 10 years and as SA’s finances buckle under lower tax revenue and rising debt. The company needs R20bn of funding by the end of its fiscal year on March 31, the Mail & Guardian newspaper reported last week, citing the utility. Yields on Eskom’s bonds climbed after the comments, with the rate on dollar debt due in January 2021 rising 54 basis points to 6.37%, the highest since November 14, at 1.29pm in Johannesburg. On Tuesday, Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba said Eskom’s state keeps him awake and is his "biggest worry". He spoke before meeting some of the utility’s lenders on the same day to address the utility’s financial problems. In Septembe...
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