Residents in Gauteng can expect load reduction until Sunday. Consumers can expect outages lasting approximately six to five hours, with the load reduction implemented during peak demand periods from 5 am to 9 am and 5 pm to 10 pm.

According to Eskom, the ongoing pressure on transformers and mini-substations due to illegal connections and electricity theft in certain areas necessitates this load reduction to prevent equipment damage.

It’s important to note that there is a difference between load shedding and load reduction—terms that are frequently used interchangeably. While both result in temporary power cuts, they serve distinct purposes and are triggered by different circumstances.

In a statement released by Eskom on August 1, the power system was reported to remain stable, with over half of its coal-fired power stations performing at an Energy Availability Factor (EAF) of 70% and above. Notably, there has been no load shedding since May 15, 2025. This indicates Eskom’s efforts to stabilise the grid; however, the need for measures like load reduction persists in specific areas.

Now, let’s break down the distinctions between load shedding and load reduction:

What is load shedding?

Load shedding is a nationwide measure implemented by Eskom when there is insufficient generation capacity (supply) to meet the country’s overall electricity demand. It is described as a last resort to protect the entire country from a national blackout. The primary goal is to prevent the ageing national power grid from collapsing due to extreme strain during peak hours.

Load shedding is to protect the national grid from collapse and is caused by a shortfall in Eskom’s ability to generate enough electricity for the country.

Common causes include high electricity demand (especially during extreme weather), fuel supply issues (like disruptions to coal), damage to power stations, and insufficient overall power generation capacity due to ageing infrastructure and lack of investment.

Load shedding’s impact can be felt across various sectors and regions across the country and is a deliberate and systematic shutdown, carried out in stages (Stage 1 to Stage 8), with each stage corresponding to a higher level of demand reduction.

What is load reduction?

Now that we have covered load shedding and had flashbacks about the dreaded load shedding notifications, let’s look at load reduction

In contrast, load reduction is a targeted intervention aimed at specific, localised areas where electricity demand is higher than the local equipment can withstand, leading to overloaded networks.

This phenomenon occurs when consumers use more electricity than the equipment (like transformers and substations) is designed to handle, which can cause damage, fires, or even explosions.

While load shedding is to protect the national grid from collapse, load reduction is to protect local equipment (transformers and substations) and ensure the safety of people in the affected area, avoiding longer, unplanned power outages. It is also used to combat localised issues such as electricity theft and non-payment.

Load reduction is primarily caused by overloaded networks at the distribution level. This often stems from electricity theft (illegal connections, meter bypassing), unpaid electricity bills, and ageing or poorly managed infrastructure in specific areas.

It’s worth noting that load reduction only impacts areas with high usagetypically specific neighbourhoods. It automatically cuts off power to both paying and non-paying consumers in the overloaded network.

It is implemented as a last resort to protect the network. It is usually implemented during peak times (e.g., mornings from 05:00 to 09:00 and evenings from 17:00 to 21:00) but can occur outside these periods if there’s an unplanned demand increase.

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