For years, mornings and evenings in households across townships and villages in the Lowveld were marked by a frustrating routine, as load reduction was implemented to protect overburdened electricity grids.

Most communities in Nsikazi, Bushbuckridge and Nkomazi have echoed a collective sigh of relief, marking a major turning point for the region as Eskom targets grid upgrades and infrastructure overhauls to bring an end to load reduction permanently.

On June 19, Eskom announced in a statement that about 886 717 customers across South Africa are no longer impacted, representing about 52% of the households of the 1.69m customers targeted for the programme. This includes 412 440 customers in Limpopo and Mpumalanga.

A total of 484 feeders have been removed from load reduction, against a planned target of 971, reflecting approximately 50% progress. These include 106 feeders in Limpopo and Mpumalanga (70% of the target of 150).

The power utility said although the power system remains stable and generation capacity continues to exceed demand, illegal connections and meter tampering persist in certain localised areas, driving infrastructure damage and posing serious safety risks. However, it continues to implement load reduction as a temporary, targeted measure in high-risk areas, to protect both communities and the electricity network.

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To address these challenges sustainably, Eskom has launched a phased programme to eliminate load reduction by 2027. The programme is targeting 971 feeders and will benefit approximately 1.69m customers across all provinces, out of Eskom’s total customer base of 7.2m. Key interventions include the rollout of smart meters, the integration of distributed energy resources, and the expansion of free basic electricity support.

Eskom has deployed 1 798 091 smart meters nationwide, reflecting a significant scaling up of installations across the country. Of these, 409 011 meters have been installed on load reduction feeders, representing approximately 23% of deployments in high-priority areas. This targeted rollout is helping to ease grid pressure while enabling customers to access real-time consumption data, and exercise greater control over their energy usage. Of the 409 011 smart meters installed on load reduction feeders, approximately 94% are concentrated in Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Limpopo and KwaZulu-Natal, where network risk is highest.

The rollout is deliberately focused on high-loss areas affected by illegal connections, meter bypassing, overloaded infrastructure and widespread electricity theft.

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Despite these efforts, the utility said installation teams continue to face persistent resistance, including intimidation, violent incidents and repeated work stoppages. These disruptions have led to deployment delays, the redeployment of teams, and heightened safety risks for Eskom employees and contractors. As a result, over 122 000 planned meter conversions have been delayed to date, undermining the stability and predictability of the rollout programme.

Therefore, Eskom has called on affected communities to partner with its teams to help accelerate the elimination of load reduction in line with planned timelines, or sooner if possible.