Residents in parts of Soweto are facing electricity cuts twice a day under Eskom's load reduction programme, despite South Africa's recent escape from widespread load shedding. The policy targets areas with illegal connections and strained infrastructure, affecting even prepaid customers who pay on time. Protests and complaints highlight perceptions of discrimination against lower-income communities.
In Soweto, Johannesburg, Eskom's load reduction programme has led to daily power cuts twice a day in affected areas, primarily during morning and evening peak hours. This measure aims to prevent grid overloading from high demand, illegal connections, and infrastructure constraints, impacting at least 8.5 million people nationwide. Despite South Africa largely overcoming load shedding— with the last instance in February 2025— many Soweto residents continue to experience these outages, which they equate to blackouts.
Nosiviwe Nobanda, a Dobsonville resident, expressed frustration: “It does not make sense that prepaid customers who pay for their power are also being subjected to load reduction. What are we being punished for, because we now use a prepaid meter and we pay for our electricity?” Similarly, 77-year-old Albert Mhlanga from Dobsonville said, “What tears me apart is that these things are not properly explained to us residents. As far as I am concerned, I am still battling load shedding, because load reduction, load shedding, what’s the difference? They all deliver unbearable blackouts. We want a flat electricity rate for old people and those who cannot afford [it].”
In June 2025, Soweto communities protested the cuts, blockading roads with burning tyres and rocks. Residents like 22-year-old Gladness Masuku called it “the worst form of discrimination,” noting that power is available across the street in some cases. Joyce Langa from Dobsonville Extension 3 reported her area is spared, unlike Extension 2.
Electricity and Energy Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa acknowledged in September the policy's disproportionate impact: “What is more worrying about load reduction, it’s got an appearance of discrimination on an income basis... it gives the impression that we are penalising the poor.” Mduduzi Makhubo of the Soweto Electricity Crisis Committee described it as “energy racism which mainly affects the working class.”
Eskom spokesperson Amanda Qithi stated in May that the programme prevents equipment failure: “Eskom will continue to implement load reduction in areas where transformers are at risk due to overloading.” The utility maintains that communities can avoid cuts by stopping electricity theft and paying through registered vendors. Relief is promised by 2027 through smart meters, crackdowns on illegal connections, and infrastructure upgrades, termed “the next phase of South Africa’s energy recovery.” Eskom did not respond to recent queries.