Eskom to implement load reduction in six provinces on Saturday

Eskom announced on Saturday 10 April that load reduction will be implemented across South Africa once again to “avoid network overloading in high-density areas”.

Here’s what you need to know.

Eskom load reduction — Saturday 10 April

Load reduction will be implemented in the Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and the North West between 17:00 and 22:00.

The power utility urges residents to switch off all electrical appliances during this time.

“Failure to do so may lead to transformer trips or failures, and damages to household appliances when supply is restored. Please do not report this outage”.

Gauteng

Eskom warned that load reduction will be implemented in the Vaal and Soweto, due to the same issues as mentioned above. The following areas will be affected between 17:00 and 22:00:

Main area	Sub areas
Tshwane	Ekangala A, B, C, D, E, and F, Jakkalas, Klipgat, Kopanong, Kromkuil, Kudube Units 1, 2, 5, 8, 11 and D, Ga-Rankuwa Industrial Ga-Rankuwa Rural, Ga-Rankuwa Units 3, 5, 7, 8, 10, 15, 17, 21, 23, and 24, Ga-Rankuwa View, Mabopane Blocks A, B, C, D, E, CV, M, N, S, U and X, Makanyaneng, Mmakaunyana, Masoga, Mathibestad, Soshanguve blocks BB, NN, NNME1, PP-East, T Ext, V and W, Soshanguve South, Swardam, Winterveld and Vuka.

Free State

Eskom urges residents to follow updates from the power utility’s social media accounts, and remind residents that these outages should not be reported. The following areas will be affected between 17:00 and 20:00:

Substation Feeder name	Areas affected in the Free State
Vaaldam / Pandam 1 22kv feeder MV overhead line	Refengkgotso
Vaaldam / Refengkgotso 1 22kv feeder MV overhead line	Refengkgotso

Mpumalanga

Load reduction in Mpumalanga will only be implemented between 17:00 and 19:00 on Saturday 10 April. The following areas in the Ehlanzeni District will be affected:

• Schoemansdal, Health Centre, Springs, Shangaanhill, Matengteng, Mandela, Garelane, Violent Bank, Rainbow, Majembeni, Shalden.
• Arthurstone, Saselani, Khayalami, Xanthia
• Mandulo, Kahhoyi, Mbangwane, Goba, Khombaso, Mbuzini, Thambokhulu
• Ratang and Wales
• Maporo, Bhejukufa, Gutshwa
• Block C, Kamaqhekeza, Langeloop, Phiva, Vlakbult
• Matsulu B Youth Centre, Matsulu C Section, Matsulu and 3 camps in Kruger National Park, and Matsulu B
• Cunningmore B, Cork Ronald C, Agincourt RDP, Crocotlawn, MP Stream, Damphies A and B, and Hokwe.

Limpopo

The following areas in Sekhukhune District and Capricorn will be affected between 17:00 and 21:00.

District	Feeder / point	Sub areas
Sekhukhune District:	Steelpoort / Badikila 22kV	Madiseng, Mashampthane, Mashifane, Mareseleng, Bothashoek, Riba Cross, Bothashoek Village, Mashifane Village, Mareseleng Village
Capricorn District	Gilead / Hlako 22kV	Steiloop RDPs 1, 2, 3, and 4
Capricorn District	Gilead / Makekeng 22kV	Lesodi

KwaZulu-Natal

Eskom said it is “currently […] battling to keep up with the increased equipment failure” in the area, and that it is “costing millions to repair”. Therefore, load reduction will be implemented during peak hours on Saturday.

“Overloading of networks lead to damage to the electricity infrastructure through explosions in overloaded transformers and mini substations”.

The following areas will be affected between 18:00 and 20:00 on Saturday 10 April.

North West

In the North West province, the Hartebeesfontein sub-area under the Rustenburg sector will be subjected to load reduction between 17:00 and 22:00 on Saturday.

In addition, the Klerksdorp, Mmabatho and Vryburg Sector will also experience down times. The following areas will be affected between 17:00 and 21:00:

• Bokona, Koikoi Village
• Mocoseng, Phenfeni, Tar
• Lerwaneng, Magogwe Centre
• Tlhabologo Village, Lethwanyeng
• Magogong, Majaneng, Maphoitsile
• Modutung, Mokasa, Roma, Taung and Takapori

Lastly, Eskom urges all customers to report meter bypasses, illegal connections and vandalism of electricity infrastructure on the Eskom Crime Line: 0800 11 27 22.

Now read: Here’s how long South Africans spent in load shedding last year