Government plans to eliminate load reduction nationwide

The Department of Electricity and Energy (Minister Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa) announced that government will eliminate load reduction across the country within 12 to 18 months by rolling out smart meters, addressing illegal connections, and upgrading distribution infrastructure.

• Main announcement & actions: Government will end load reduction within 12–18 months by rolling out smart meters, dealing with illegal electricity connections, refurbishing distribution and reticulation infrastructure, and installing solar and battery storage; pilot electrification has been completed in two villages in Musina, Limpopo. Key numeric details: 1.69 million customers affected (≈ 8.5 million people), 771 transformer failures attributed largely to illegal connections.
• Background & policy details: The Department will review the Free Basic Electricity (FBE) Framework to better subsidise indigent households (current typical FBE: 50 kWh/month, average low-income household consumption cited as 200 kWh/month); about 2.1 million customers qualify for FBE but only 485,000 receive it; government will work with smart meter manufacturers to meet Eskom standards and expects municipalities to create a robust indigent register. The Department said it will change the FBE framework “without relying on the fiscal envelope.”