Eskom progress sees more communities exit load-reduction schedule

Four villages have been removed from the load-reduction system after Eskom’s smart meter project reached 70% in the area.Mpumalanga Newsreportsthe villages, situated in Ward 33 of the City of Mbombela, are Maporo, Millie Land, Bhejukufa and Gutshwa Trust. The smart meter project involves replacing traditional meters with prepaid split meters. It aims to reduce electricity theft, improve billing accuracy and enable real-time consumption monitoring for residents.

Key benefits include fewer blackouts, remote monitoring and support for time-of-use tariffs. The programme forms part of Eskom’s broader effort to phase out load-reduction at community level. It has already delivered results, with the Northern Cape and Western Cape fully removed from load-reduction schedules.

Nationally, more than 340 000 customers who previously faced load-reduction are now no longer affected, ensuring continuous supply during the upcoming winter period. In addition, 2 119 customers have been connected through distributed energy resources to strengthen supply in areas previously affected by network constraints. A total of 1.6 million smart meters have been deployed nationwide, with about 652 744 installations completed since April 2025 under Eskom’s infrastructure upgrade programme.

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Of these, 250 181 units have been deployed on load reduction feeders, representing 42% in high-priority areas. This targeted rollout is aimed at easing grid pressure while giving customers real-time consumption data and greater control over usage. Of the smart meters installed on load-reduction feeders, about 91% are concentrated in Gauteng and Mpumalanga.

The roll-out is focused on areas affected by illegal connections, meter bypassing, overloaded infrastructure and electricity theft. A total of 211 feeders have been removed from load-reduction, representing 78% of the first phase. This includes 37 in Limpopo and Mpumalanga that reached the 100% target.

An estimated 352 968 customers are now benefiting from feeders removed to date, including 111 519 in Limpopo and Mpumalanga. The remaining customers still scheduled for removal by the end of the financial year total 122 817 in Limpopo and Mpumalanga. Load-reduction continues to affect several communities, particularly in rural areas, during peak early-morning and late-evening periods when demand is highest.

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