While load shedding remains on hold, Eskom has announced the reintroduction of load reduction during peak morning and evening hours.
City Power had temporarily suspended load reduction measures over the festive season due to a drop in electricity demand.
City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena confirmed that the suspension, which began on December 20, 2024, will last until the end of January 2025.
“This seasonal decrease in electricity demand, combined with favorable factors such as warmer weather, allowed us to temporarily halt load reduction measures that were previously necessary to protect the power grid,” Mangena explained.
Eskom stated that load reduction will now be implemented during peak demand hours: 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Areas in Gauteng Affected by Load Reduction:
- Ga-Rankuwa
- Orange Farm
- Mabopane
- Vereeniging
- Sebokeng
- Cullinan
- Protea Glen, Dobsonville, Meadowlands
- Hartebeesfontein
Load reduction, first introduced in June 2024, aims to alleviate strain on the electricity grid, safeguard transformers, and combat illegal connections.
“Despite ongoing public awareness campaigns on the consequences of electricity theft, Eskom has been left with no choice but to implement load reduction to prevent transformer failures and explosions that pose risks to human lives,” the utility stated in July 2024.
Minister of Electricity and Energy Kgosientsho Ramokgopa acknowledged Eskom’s continued efforts to address the challenges tied to load reduction.
“We are currently generating enough electricity to meet demand. The challenges we face are downstream issues affecting both Eskom and municipal systems,” Ramokgopa said.
He added that Eskom’s Group Executive for Distribution, Monde Bala, is collaborating closely with municipalities to resolve the outages.
“I am directly involved in these efforts to address the situation,” Ramokgopa said, noting that aging infrastructure and a lack of investment have compounded the problem.