Eskom has removed more than 1.1 million customers from load reduction schedules, with five of South Africa’s nine provinces now entirely free of the practice — a milestone in the utility’s programme to eradicate load reduction nationally by March 2027.

Mpumalanga is the latest province to be cleared, joining the Western Cape, Northern Cape, Free State and North West, Eskom said on Wednesday. In total, 545 feeders have been removed from load reduction schedules, with the remaining affected areas concentrated in Gauteng, followed by KwaZulu-Natal. Eskom aims to have seven provinces clear by October.

Load reduction is often confused with load shedding, but the two are different problems. Load shedding is a national response to a generation shortfall — and South Africa hasn’t had any for more than 413 consecutive days. Load reduction is a localised measure: Eskom deliberately switches off specific feeders, usually during morning and evening peaks, in areas where illegal connections, meter tampering, electricity theft and demand growth have overloaded local networks to the point where transformers and other infrastructure are at risk of damage.

While load shedding ended for everyone in mid-2025, load reduction persisted daily in mostly poorer communities — townships in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo and the Eastern Cape — long after the suburbs’ lights stayed on. The programme to end it, launched by energy minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa last September, targets 971 feeders serving 1.69 million customers, meaning Eskom is now roughly two-thirds of the way to its goal.

Progress has accelerated sharply. In February, Eskom reported just 140 000 customers freed from load reduction; five months later the figure has passed a million. The acceleration is notable given that the smart meter roll-out underpinning the programme was badly behind schedule at the start of the year, with installation teams facing intimidation, violence and work stoppages in some communities. Smart meters matter to Eskom for more than reliability: they allow the utility to manage non-paying customers remotely and protect revenue in areas where energy losses are concentrated.

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“Reaching the milestone of more than one million customers removed from load reduction demonstrates that the programme is delivering tangible results,” said Eskom distribution group executive Junaid Munshi in a statement. “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.” — © 2026 NewsCentral Media