Electricity Minister makes BIG six-month load reduction promise

Electricity and Energy Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa says South Africa is on track to eliminate load reduction by March 2027, with the number of affected customers having fallen significantly.

Ramokgopa made the comments in the National Assembly, saying the number of customers affected by load reduction had dropped from around 1.4 million to 247 617.

“We have reduced that number and we are now at 247 617 customers,” the minister said.

He identified KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng as the two remaining provinces where significant load-reduction interventions are still taking place.

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Load reduction target

The Department of Electricity and Energy has been working with Eskom and municipalities on a phased programme to eliminate load reduction.

The programme includes smart-meter installations, network upgrades, addressing illegal connections and expanding free basic electricity support. Government previously said the programme was targeting hundreds of feeders affected by overloaded networks.

Ramokgopa said the remaining work should be completed before the end of March 2027.

Load reduction is different from national load shedding. It is a localised measure used to protect electricity distribution networks that are under severe pressure, often because of overloading, illegal connections and electricity theft.

Electricity pricing review

The minister also provided an update on the government’s review of South Africa’s electricity pricing regime.

Ramokgopa said the review is expected to be finalised by January 2027.

The Revised Electricity Pricing Policy was published for public comment in August. However, the Department of Electricity and Energy subsequently extended the public-comment period to 28 October 2026.

More free electricity proposed

One of the issues under consideration is the amount of free basic electricity available to qualifying households.

Ramokgopa said current fiscal support could potentially accommodate between 200kWh and 300kWh of free basic electricity.

“We are confident that with the current fiscal support, we can afford anything between 200 and 300 kilowatt hour of free basic electricity, so we don’t need any additional allocation from Treasury,” he said.

The proposed changes will form part of the broader review of how electricity is priced and how affordability is addressed.