Government and state-owned power utility Eskom are embarking on what they describe as an aggressive roll-out of infrastructure to end the “load reduction” of electricity within the next 12-18 months.
“We will end load reduction in 12 months if there is absolute cooperation by communities… [but] there are parts where will get resistance,” energy minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa told reporters at a media briefing on Thursday.
He said there would be “agitation” by those benefiting from illegal connections and vandalism.
A total of 1.69 million people on Eskom’s direct database alone are impacted by load reduction. The minister said he would update the figure once he had a breakdown from municipal power utilities like Johannesburg’s City Power.
Load reduction is a localised strategy used to decrease electricity demand in specific areas with overloaded networks and high consumption, often caused by illegal connections. It typically occurs in the mornings and evenings – periods of high demand that place strain on infrastructure. – © 2025 NewsCentral Media
- This is a developing story
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