Overview
- Eskom reported that 1,104,225 customers have been removed from load reduction schedules, a figure the company says represents roughly 56–65% of its national target.
- The Western Cape, Northern Cape, Free State, North West and Mpumalanga have been declared free of load reduction following the latest removals.
- Eskom has taken 545 feeders off load reduction schedules by upgrading local distribution infrastructure and installing smart meters to protect transformers and restore capacity.
- The remaining impacts are concentrated mainly in Gauteng and KwaZulu‑Natal and Eskom says it remains on track to remove load reduction from seven provinces by October 2026 and nationwide by March 2027.
- Eskom attributes load reduction to local overloads caused by illegal connections, meter tampering and rising demand and says continued investment, revenue protection and community cooperation will determine how quickly households and businesses fully regain stable local supply.