Eskom reports progress in clearing overloaded networks, with six of the country's nine provinces now free from load reduction.
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Eskom has cleared six provinces of load reduction and freed 1.19 million customers nationwide, but Gauteng, the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal remain under scheduled power cuts.
Here is the load reduction timetable for Gauteng from 20 to 27 July.
Six provinces now free of load reduction
South Africa’s power utility reported major progress in clearing overloaded networks, with six of the country’s nine provinces now completely removed from the load reduction schedule.
According to Eskom, “About 1 190 902 customers and six provinces across South Africa are no longer impacted, representing about 70% of targeted households.”
The utility said the achievement formed part of a broader eradication drive targeting 971 identified feeders across the country. Eskom noted that “A total of 564 feeders have been removed from load reduction, representing approximately 58% of the 971 target.”
Limpopo and Mpumalanga led the results, with both provinces reaching full elimination after surpassing their combined target.
The North West and Northern Cape also achieved complete removal, exceeding their target of nine feeders by clearing 15.
The Western Cape and Free State likewise reached full elimination within their grouped targets, while the Eastern Cape and Gauteng remained the only provinces still carrying a share of the national backlog alongside KwaZulu-Natal.
Gauteng among provinces still affected
Limpopo became the latest province declared free of load reduction this week, but Gauteng was not as fortunate.
Of the 604 feeders targeted for removal in the province, only 244 have been cleared, representing 40% progress, the lowest completion rate of any province still affected.
Eskom explained that “Through targeted interventions and strong community partnerships, Eskom has eliminated overloading on 564 of the 971 identified networks, enabling approximately 1.19 million customers, representing 70% of the 1.69 million customers originally affected by load reduction, to be removed from load reduction schedules.”
The utility said load reduction had, at its worst point, affected close to a quarter of its customer base. Eskom stated that “At its peak, load reduction affected approximately 23.5% of Eskom’s 7.2 million customer base. This has now been reduced to approximately 7%, with load reduction eliminated in six provinces.”
Work continues in the Eastern Cape, Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, which remain the only outstanding provinces.
Eskom said it aimed to reach a seventh province by October 2026, with the entire country expected to be free of load reduction by 2027.
Improved generation supports recovery plan
The reduction in affected areas has coincided with steady gains in generation performance during a period of high winter demand.
According to Eskom, “the return of over 5GW of generating capacity over the past three years, equivalent to a 10.5% improvement in Energy Availability Factor (EAF), is playing a key role in Eskom’s continued improvement in operational performance.”
The utility’s Energy Availability Factor climbed further in the past week, continuing a trend the utility linked directly to reduced breakdowns.
Eskom reported that its “Energy Availability Factor continues its upward trajectory, currently at 65.46% for the financial year-to-date (1 April to 16 July 2026), up from 64.82% in the previous week and significantly higher than 58.94% recorded over the same period last year, an improvement of 6.52% year-on-year.”
Unplanned breakdowns, historically the biggest drag on supply, also fell sharply compared with the same week last year.
Eskom said that “Between 10 and 16 July 2026, average unplanned outages declined significantly to 7 593MW, down from 13 439MW during the same period last year,” describing the drop as larger than the combined output of two major power stations.
The utility added that its “Unplanned Capacity Loss Factor (UCLF)… significantly improved to 16.03% from 28.34% in the corresponding period last year.”
Gauteng load reduction schedule: 20 to 27 July
South Africa has now gone well over a year without load shedding, a run Eskom attributed to the improved generation performance.
According to Eskom, the country “has recorded 427 consecutive days without load shedding since 16 May 2025.”
Monday, 20 July
The morning block, running from 5am to 9am, will affect Block I, covering areas including Vosloorus A, Vosloorus B, Vosloorus Ext 25, Mabuya Park A and Ramakonopi East.
The evening block, from 5pm to 10pm, will affect Block H, covering Etwatwa Ext 15, Etwatwa Ext 21, Sebokeng Unit 12, Wattville and Boitumelo.
Tuesday, 21 July
The evening block from 5pm to 10pm will affect Block J, covering Orange Farm, Stretford Ext 2, Sebokeng Unit 1, Evaton Central and Sharpeville.
A second evening block will affect Block G, covering Ga-Rankuwa Unit 8, Mabopane Unit A, Klippan, Tsakane Ext 11 and Mokoena. A third block will affect Block F, covering Diepkloof Zone 1, Orlando East, Bram Fischerville, Vereeniging Stretford and Roodepoort.
Wednesday, 22 July
The morning block from 5am to 9am will affect Block A, covering Ivory Park Ext 10, Kaalfontein Ext 1, Protea Glen, Meadowlands Zone 2 and Kagiso.
The evening block from 5pm to 10pm will affect Block B, covering Meadowlands West Zone 10, Cosmo City, Diepsloot West, Jabavu Ext 1 and Zandspruit Outlying.
Thursday, 23 July
The morning block from 5am to 9am will affect Block C, covering Soweto Zola, Soweto Jabulani, Naledi, Dobsonville Ext 7 and Mabopane C.
The same block will affect Block D, covering Ekangala, Moroka, Klipspruit Dhlamini, Kagiso Khutsong and Tsakane Ext 8.
Friday, 24 July
The morning block from 5am to 9am will affect Block F, covering Diepkloof Zone 2, Orlando East, Havana, Lakeside and Soweto Nomzamo.
The evening block from 5pm to 10pm will affect Block I, covering Vosloorus Ext 14, Mabuya Park B, Moleleki, Ramakonopi Likole and Nguni section A.
A further evening block will affect Block J, covering Stretford Ext 5, Orange Farm Ext 1, Evaton West, Sebokeng Unit 7 and Katlehong South.
Saturday, 25 July
The morning block from 5am to 9am will affect Block H, covering Etwatwa Ext 30, Sebokeng Unit 19, Beverley Hills, Endicott and Barcelona.
The same time slot will affect Block G, covering Ga-Rankuwa Unit 23, Mabopane Unit D, Tsolo, Winterveldt Ext 3 and Phooko.
Sunday, 26 July
The evening block from 5pm to 10pm will affect Block J, covering Orange Farm Ext 2, Stretford Ext 9, Elandsfontein AH, Zonkezizwe and Magagula Heights.
The same block will affect Block I, covering Vosloorus Ext 31, Ap Khumalo, Kwenele, Womans Hostel and Mngadi.
A further block will affect Block E, covering Mapetla, Protea South, Chiawelo, Nooitgedacht and Stinkwater.
Monday, 27 July
The evening block from 5pm to 10pm will affect Block D, covering Ekangala, Moroka, Chiawelo, Kagiso Khutsong and Langaville Ext 3.
The same block will affect Block C, covering Soweto Zola, Dobsonville Ext 5, Winterveldt Ward 13, Moletsane and Tladi.
To see if your area is affected, click on or download the document below:
