Moody’s Eskom debt inclusion raises SA downgrade risk

The risk of South Africa losing its only investment-grade rating could increase now that Moody’s Investors Service has decided to include the state-owned power utility’s colossal debt load in the country’s overall fiscal-strength calculations.

Moody’s now includes Eskom’s government-guaranteed debt in its assessment of the nation’s fiscal situation because the utility can’t service its obligations without the state’s backing, it said in an emailed report Wednesday. The ratings company sees South Africa’s debt burden increasing to more than 70% of gross domestic product over the next few years, a trend that contrasts with Baa3-rated peers, which include Bahamas and Hungary, it said.

Read: SA’s debt surge must stop – Moody’s

Key insights

The embattled South African state power utility’s debt burden, described by Goldman Sachs as the biggest threat to the nation’s economy, is approaching R500 billion ($35 billion), according to data compiled by Bloomberg from public records, including bonds and issued loans, up from about R370 billion a year ago.

The Treasury’s worst-case scenario is for gross debt to deteriorate to 60.2% of GDP in the fiscal year ending February 2024; this doesn’t include Eskom’s debt.