State utility Eskom has an unfair monopoly and it is abusing it. The floundering State-owned utility is not only shrinking the economy by failing to provide energy security but also abusing its monopoly by standing in the way of mining companies wanting to generate and distribute their own renewable electricity. Helping Eskom along is an errant National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa). Several mining companies are at the ready to generate their own electricity with the help of the sun and wind, but they are being prevented from doing so by regulatory red tape. This bureaucratic bullying must be brought to an end. Load-shedding has already cut the meagre expected economic growth rate to shreds and Eskom and Nersa refuse to get out of the way of those wanting to step up the pace of economic growth.