Suliman Rajah writes:

The municipality’s load reduction schedule of 9 May 2026 tells us everything we need to know about who matters in JB Marks and who does not.
Let me read the schedule for you.
Ikageng is on the list. Promosa is on the list. Mohadin is on the list. The CBD, where poor and working people do business, is on the list. Miederpark and Grimbeekpark, where poor white residents and some black middle-class families live, are on the list.

Now let me tell you what is NOT on the list.

Mooivallei Park. Baillie Park. Van der Hoff Park. Tuscany Ridge. Waterberry. Vyfhoek. Lekwena Estate. Hillside Estate. – Editors’ note (These areas form part of the 132KV main Eskom line. This is why they are not on the list. The areas affected due to load reduction is related to the 66KV line, which is older infrastructure)

The areas where the wealthy live. The areas where billionaires and multi-millionaires reside.
Not one of these areas appears on the load reduction schedule.

This is not a technical issue. It is a class issue. The University of Johannesburg’s report, titled Energy Racism, states that load reduction is “a racist policy of targeting black areas for power failures” and that the “criminal neglect of the energy needs of the working class and the poor is a continuation of past racist policies.”

The SAHRC launched a National Investigative Inquiry into load reduction because complaints mounted that poor, black communities were being targeted. That inquiry is ongoing.

And now, JB Marks Municipality has provided the perfect evidence for that inquiry. Their own schedule proves the point.

The timing is also suspicious. The community begins questioning the 25-year private PPA. Suddenly, load reduction is announced against the same communities. The stick and the carrot. Both serve private profit. Neither serves the poor.

I have lodged a complaint with the SAHRC’s North West office. I urge every resident of Ikageng, Promosa, Mohadin, and every other affected area to do the same.
You can email NWComplaints@sahrc.org.za or call 014 592 0694.

The wealthy keep their lights on while we sit in the dark. That is not a technical failure. That is a political choice. And we must fight it.

Note: The views and opinions expressed in this reader’s letter are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views, policies or position of the Potchefstroom Herald, its editorial staff or publishers.