Eskom’s “No Load Shedding” Spin Vs. This Week’s Reality

Eskom’s “No Load Shedding” Spin Vs. This Week’s Reality

Eskom’s recent statements about South Africa achieving 168 days without load shedding may sound triumphant, but this so-called milestone is little comfort to the roughly 1.7 million subscribers across Gauteng still hit by load reduction this week. The utility’s load-reduction schedule, active from 3 to 9 November 2025, once again means communities endure up to six hours of planned outages daily, split between critical morning (5:00–9:00) and evening (17:00–22:00) peaks. Areas like Naledi, Dobsonville, Mabopane, Winterveldt, Orange Farm, Sebokeng, Palm Springs, and Katlehong South are examples of those affected, despite national headlines declaring the end of load shedding.

Let’s be clear: load reduction is Eskom’s workaround for network failures caused by persistent illegal connections and infrastructure overload. It is not an achievement, but a symptom of deeper systemic problems. Yet, Eskom seems eager to trumpet supposed progress while communities continue to suffer scheduled blackouts under a different name.

In parallel, Eskom boasts about rolling out 577,000 smart meters by 2026 as a cornerstone of its network upgrade and theft-prevention strategy. However, scrutiny in Parliament reveals no clear budget, ongoing supply challenges, and a lack of transparency over rollout locations. The official story is that high-priority rollout areas are “where people are most impacted by load-reduction,” but community reporting suggests affluent suburbs with low theft rates are seeing earlier installations, while the hardest hit communities wait.

This contradiction between public messaging and on-the-ground realities demands answers: why is Eskom prioritizing affluent areas for its technology upgrades rather than those most affected by outages and theft? National Treasury’s separate municipal smart meter targets add to the confusion, with tens of thousands planned but little clarity on timing or local impact.

Moreover, Eskom’s own Facebook page, shows photos of smart meter installations in a house clearly not in any of the areas listed as affected by this week's load reduction. Readers can view these photos here: https://web.facebook.com/100064874130490/posts/1239684908203969/?rdid=0nPWCCJOtmEjVkZI# Senior Eskom executive Collin Reddy probably needs to address this disparity following his comment on 23 October 2025 promising targeted rollouts in most impacted areas.

Over the last five days, Eskom’s core challenges remain unchanged: load reduction persists, smart meter deployments are patchy, and thousands of homes remain vulnerable to outages and hazardous illegal connections. Calls for public cooperation and responsible energy use ring hollow when affected communities see no relief or meaningful transparency.

When will Eskom acknowledge the persistent challenges in areas affected by load reduction, in suburbs where municipal debt is rapidly worsening? Rather than perpetuating misinformation, it is time for Eskom to openly communicate the real cost implications for consumers, whether through tariff increases, tax adjustments, or government bailouts, all of which ultimately mean that the financial burden will fall on the paying public. Transparency on these issues is essential for trust and constructive dialogue about South Africa’s energy future.

Sources: Eskom, Moody’s, News24, BusinessTech, Citizen, The South African, MyBroadband