Lekwa has no lights due to electricity demand
With electricity constantly tripping in Lekwa, the Sanderton Advertiser asked several important questions.
In recent weeks, Lekwa residents have been plagued by frequent power trips in their homes, particularly during the evenings. In response, the Standerton Advertiser sent the Lekwa Local Municipality (LLM) a list of detailed questions to uncover the cause of the outages.
According to Lubabalo Majenge, communications officer for the municipality, the local electricity grid is under significant strain.
“When the electricity demand exceeds the allocated supply, Eskom’s protection system trips the entire town as a safety measure,” Majenge explained.
To better monitor usage, the municipality has installed a SCADA monitoring system across Lekwa. This system allows the municipality to track electricity consumption in real time and automatically trips the circuit breaker once usage exceeds a set threshold, leaving specific areas without power.
This is intended to protect the grid from damage due to overloading. Majenge said the municipality’s maximum Notified Demand (MND) is 55 MVA, while Eskom has a tripping point at 60.2 MVA.
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“The municipality needs to perform load management to prevent the load from exceeding 60.2 MVA, and ideally to keep it at or below 55 MVA,” he said.
He added that a major contributor to the problem is illegal electricity connections and tampered meters in areas that experience frequent tripping. These unlawful activities significantly increase overall consumption and place the grid under additional pressure.
Despite these insights, the municipality has yet to provide answers to key concerns — such as whether a formal load management schedule will be released, or whether there is a long-term plan to improve electricity stability in Lekwa.
Frustrated residents have taken to the LLM’s Facebook page, regularly commenting on the ongoing outages. One resident remarked that they preferred the days of “Lekwa-shedding,” where at least a schedule was provided and residents could prepare for outages.
Majenge concluded by urging community members to report illegal connections and meter tampering to the municipality’s customer care line at 017 712 5458.
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