Eskom targets 2027 to end load reduction nationwide

Eskom has unveiled an ambitious plan to completely eliminate load reduction by March 2027 as South Africa’s power grid continues to stabilise.

The initiative focuses on modernising infrastructure and improving customer engagement, with special attention on high-impact provinces such as Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, and KwaZulu-Natal.

According to Acting Group Executive for Distribution, Agnes Mlambo, the utility’s strategy hinges on the nationwide rollout of smart meters to all 7,2 million customers.

Mlambo added that over one million meters have already been installed, enabling Eskom to monitor electricity use in real time and identify illegal connections that cause overloading and damage to equipment.

"With the smart meters and the consumption of those customers that are legally connected, we will be able to identify the load that is consumed by our customers because we will have that information at customer level, and we will also be able to tell at which transformer do we have these illegal connections. It will help us to identify those areas and be able to deal with them almost immediately. Of course, for the customers that are illegal and that would have fiddled with our equipment by bypassing - the smart meter would give us an alarm and we will be able to respond and attend to the customer that is attempting to bypass the meter."

She said that by mid-2026, provinces with lower rates of load reduction, such as the Northern and Western Cape, should already be free from the practice.

Mlambo emphasised that customer education and cooperation will be key to achieving the 2027 goal.

To listen to Agnes Mlambo in conversation with 702 and CapeTalk's Africa Melane, click the audio below: