South Africa plans to end electricity load reduction by March 2027, according to Electricity and Energy Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa. This initiative aims to alleviate the pressure on local electricity networks, which currently affects 247,617 customers, down from about 1.4 million.
Load reduction is a measure used to protect the network from overloading and differs from the national load shedding strategy. Despite progress, load reduction remains necessary in areas like KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng. The South African government is collaborating with Eskom and local municipalities to implement network upgrades, install smart meters, combat illegal connections, and increase access to free basic electricity to achieve these goals.
In addition to addressing load reduction, the government is reviewing the electricity pricing system, with a completion target of January 2027. As part of this review, proposals are being considered to offer free basic electricity to qualifying households, potentially ranging between 200kWh and 300kWh.