Government Targets End to Load Reduction Within 18 Months Through Smart Meters and Infrastructure Upgrades
The government has set a bold timeline of 12 to 18 months to end load reduction, a measure that has left millions of South Africans without power during peak demand periods. Minister of Electricity and Energy, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, made the announcement during a media briefing in Pretoria on Thursday, outlining a comprehensive plan to overhaul distribution networks, clamp down on illegal connections, and roll out smart technology to stabilise the grid.
Load reduction, unlike load shedding, is a targeted intervention applied to specific areas where networks are overloaded — often because of high energy losses or illegal connections. According to Ramokgopa, approximately 1.69 million customers are affected nationally, translating to around 8.5 million people, with the hardest-hit provinces being Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal.
“We are going to make sure that we address the multiple manifestations of the electricity deficit in the country. Today, I am announcing that we are ending load reduction in the country. This can be achieved anywhere between 12 to 18 months,” Ramokgopa said.
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Smart Meters: A Game-Changer for Fair Access
Central to the government’s plan is the nationwide rollout of smart meters, which will allow authorities to isolate households and businesses that refuse to pay for electricity, without cutting off entire communities sharing the same transformer.
“The smart meters will enable us to isolate customers that are able to pay for electricity but are not doing so, and not make the rest of the customers who are connected to the same transformer collateral damage. It gives us technical agility for us to isolate those who choose not to pay for electricity,” Ramokgopa explained.
The technology will also help improve transparency in the Free Basic Electricity (FBE) programme, which is currently underutilised. Out of 2.1 million customers eligible for free basic electricity, only 485 000 are receiving it. Smart meters, paired with accurate indigent registers from municipalities, will ensure subsidies reach all qualifying households.
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Rethinking the Free Basic Electricity Framework
Ramokgopa confirmed that government will review the Free Basic Electricity Framework (FBE) to better reflect the real consumption needs of low-income households. Currently, households receive 50 kWh per month, which is insufficient for basic living.
“We know that an average low-income household consumes about 200 kilowatt hours of electricity per month. If we talk about 100% subsidisation of the poor, it means that the 50 kWh per month of free basic electricity should be shifted to 200 kilowatt hours per month. We are going to change the framework without relying on the fiscal envelope, so we don’t have to approach the Minister of Finance for more funds,” Ramokgopa said.
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Tackling Illegal Connections and Transformer Failures
Illegal connections remain one of the most serious challenges undermining South Africa’s power supply. Ramokgopa revealed that 771 transformer failures have been recorded, largely due to overloading caused by unauthorised connections.
“We know that there are those who are profiting from the illegal electricity connections. Some of them are delinquent employees of Eskom and municipalities that are connecting people illegally. We expect them to agitate those communities to resist our presence because we are taking an illegally earned income that they have accumulated over time at the detriment of consumers in the area,” he warned.
The government’s strategy includes regularising informal settlements where municipalities have already formalised areas, by installing proper infrastructure to provide legal electricity access.
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Infrastructure Upgrades and Renewable Solutions
In addition to smart meters, the Department of Electricity and Energy will focus on refurbishing and maintaining distribution infrastructure, including reticulation networks. Plans also include expanding access to renewable solutions by rolling out solar and battery storage systems in communities.
This approach has already been piloted successfully in two villages in Musina, Limpopo, where residents now have access to electrification projects combining solar power and storage technology.
“We will also be rolling out distribution infrastructure reticulated by installing solar and battery storage. We are electrifying communities,” Ramokgopa said.
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