Mbali Dhlamini2 August 2024 | 13:30

City Power says load reduction to remain in place in densely populated areas

The utility said its systems remain constrained due to illegal connections and damage to its infrastructure.

City Power says load reduction to remain in place in densely populated areas

Bright lightbulb, electricity. Image: Pexels from Pixabay

JOHANNESBURG - City Power said that load reduction will remain in place in densely populated areas for as long as it is necessary.

The utility said its systems remain constrained due to illegal connections and damage to its infrastructure.

On Friday, officials conducted a cut-off operation in Alexandra township, north of Johannesburg. It said only 11% of residents in Alex are paying for the power they use.

The city has in the past revealed it is owed around R10 billion due to unpaid electricity.

City Power Spokesperson Isaac Mangena said cut-off operations would continue to ensure the stability of its systems.

"Alexandra is one of those areas which are undergoing this process of load reduction and until we are comfortable through our monitoring programmes that power is stabilising we can look into suspending load reduction. But currently, it does not seem that way and actually, it looks like it’s getting worse.”