Eskom removes more than one million customers from load reduction as five provinces become load reduction free

Wednesday, 08 July 2026: Eskom has reached an important milestone in its nationwide Load Reduction Eradication Programme, with five of South Africa’s nine provinces now free from load reduction. To date, 1 104 225 customers have been removed from load reduction schedules, representing 56.17% performance towards the programme’s load reduction eradication target. Originally implemented to address overloaded local networks and protect electricity infrastructure, the programme has removed 545 feeders from load reduction nationally, with the remaining load reduction areas concentrated largely in Gauteng followed by KwaZulu-Natal.

This milestone follows the successful elimination of load reduction in Mpumalanga, joining the Western Cape, Northern Cape, Free State and North West as provinces that are now free from load reduction. This progress keeps Eskom on track to eliminate load reduction in seven provinces by October 2026, with national eradication targeted by March 2027.

The achievement reflects Eskom’s broader strategy to pursue operational and financial sustainability by reducing energy losses and modernising the power system through targeted investment in strengthening distribution infrastructure. It also supports improved reliability and customer experience, while delivering tangible benefits to households, schools, clinics, businesses and communities through a more resilient and secure electricity network.

While load reduction and loadshedding are often conflated, they are fundamentally different challenges. South Africa’s power system has remained stable for more than 413 consecutive days without loadshedding, reflecting the success of Eskom’s Generation Recovery Plan and significant improvements in generation performance, operational reliability and the reduction of unplanned outages. Load reduction, by contrast, was introduced as a temporary network protection measure in areas affected by infrastructure overloading, illegal connections, electricity theft, meter tampering and demand growth that exceeded the design capacity of local networks.

Through targeted investment in network infrastructure, the deployment of smart meters, the integration of Distributed Energy Resources, the expansion of Free Basic Electricity support, revenue protection initiatives, and collaboration with municipalities, communities, Eskom is progressively addressing the underlying causes of load reduction. These interventions are reducing network overloading, protecting electricity infrastructure from damage, improving supply reliability, and reducing reliance on load reduction as a network management tool, as Eskom works towards its goal of eliminating load reduction nationally by 2027.

“The elimination of load reduction forms part of Eskom’s broader commitment to transforming electricity service delivery across South Africa.”While significant progress has been made in improving generation performance and sustaining power system stability, we recognise that some communities continue to experience the impact of load reduction. Reaching the milestone of more than one million customers removed from load reduction demonstrates that the programme is delivering tangible results. However, the work is not complete. The remaining areas, particularly in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, require sustained investment, continued infrastructure upgrades, the deployment of advanced technologies and ongoing collaboration with communities and stakeholders to address the root causes of network overloading,” said Junaid Munshi, Eskom Group Executive for Distribution.

Community partnership remains critical

The success of the programme depends not only on infrastructure investment and technology deployment but also on active cooperation between Eskom, municipalities, government departments, traditional leaders, law enforcement agencies and communities. Protecting electricity infrastructure, preventing illegal connections and supporting safe access for technical teams will remain critical to achieving Eskom’s goal of eliminating load reduction nationally by March 2027.

Call to Action: Help protect your community’s electricity network

Illegal connections, electricity theft, meter tampering and vandalism continue to place significant pressure on local electricity networks, increasing the risk of infrastructure damage, supply interruptions and safety incidents. Eskom therefore calls on all customers and community stakeholders to support efforts to protect electricity infrastructure and maintain reliable electricity supply by:

• Reporting illegal connections, electricity theft and meter tampering.
• Reporting damaged or unsafe electricity infrastructure.
• Supporting smart meter installations and providing safe access to authorised Eskom technical teams.
• Promoting the safe and legal use of electricity within communities.

Customers are encouraged to report illegal connections and infrastructure damage to the Eskom Crime Line at 0800 112 722 or via WhatsApp at 081 333 3323.

Eskom remains committed to delivering a safe, reliable and sustainable electricity supply while ensuring that the benefits of improved power system performance are progressively experienced by all South Africans.

ENDS