• Eskom has announced that load reduction will be implemented in certain areas where there is a risk of overloading transformers.
• This risk of overloading comes as a result of illegal connections.
• Eskom says provincial governments will communicate when and where load reduction will be implemented.

The cold weather gripping most of South Africa has seemingly coincided with a decision by Eskom to reinstate load reduction. Surprisingly though, it’s not because of the cold weather and increased demand that necessitates load reduction but rather, theft.

Eskom on Tuesday morning announced that it is battling the issue of overloading in Limpopo, Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Gauteng, Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal and North West. This overloading is, according to Eskom, caused by electricity theft and indiscriminate use of electricity.

“Overloaded transformers as a result of electricity theft presents a serious risk to human life, we only implement load reduction as a very last resort for the shortest periods possible after all other options have been exhausted,” Monde Bala, group executive for Distribution said in a statement.

“A transformer damaged by overloading can leave an area without power for up to six months, protecting Eskom’s assets is in the best interest of all South Africans,” Bala added.

The utility says that there are 2 111 transformers which are frequently overloaded across the country which are at risk of being damaged.

Load reduction, unlike loadshedding, sees electricity supply restricted in certain areas at peak times. These times are between 05:00 and 07:00 in the morning and 17:00 and 19:00 in the evening. The utility says that it has seen load reduction leading to fewer failures and fewer prolonged outages where it is implemented.

As for when residents can expect load reduction, Eskom says that “the relevant cluster or province will communicate with affected customers through the normal channels”.

Residents in Johannesburg have faced load reduction since mid-June. As many as 80 areas across the city experience power cuts between 04:00 and 10:00 as well as later in the day between 16:00 and 22:00. This is effectively Stage 2 loadshedding but it doesn’t apply to the entire city.

For those who live in an area marked for load reduction, Eskom urges customers to reduce their consumption by switching off geysers and using non-electrical heaters. Customers should also make sure they are legally connected to the grid and purchasing electricity from authorised vendors.

The utility also encourages reporting of illegal connections, theft and vandalism to the Eskom Crime Line on 0800 112 722.

Within minimum temperatures in the single-digits across most of South Africa today, this announcement couldn’t come at a worse time and we hope that the return of load reduction isn’t a precursor to loadshedding’s return.