Electricity and Energy Minister Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa has assured residents of the former KwaNdebele areas in Mpumalanga that load reduction—which often causes outages lasting more than four hours a day—could soon end, but only if they allow Eskom contractors to install smart meters in their homes.
The minister addressed community concerns during a visit to the region, where contractors recently attempting to install the meters were chased away by residents. He emphasized that non-payment for electricity and illegal connections are major contributors to the ongoing electricity supply challenges.
Nationally, people who refuse to pay for electricity owe Eskom around 108 billion rand, a debt that hampers the utility’s ability to generate power efficiently. Ramokgopa explained that Eskom must purchase coal from mines and transport it to power stations, questioning where the funding for these operations would come from without payments from customers.
In the specific region of the former KwaNdebele homeland in Mpumalanga, the minister highlighted that 3,600 transformers have exploded, costing Eskom nearly 470 million rand in repairs. He attributed this damage largely to overloads from illegal connections, which have prolonged outages under load reduction measures.
To resolve the issue, Ramokgopa proposed installing smart meters in every household, including those with existing illegal connections, which would be regularized moving forward. These meters would help identify non-paying users and protect the infrastructure from further damage.
“If we install smart meters in every house, even in homes where there are illegal connections, we will regularize them going forward. This will help us identify those who are not paying for electricity,” the minister stated.
He assured residents that cooperation on the smart meter installations could make load reduction a thing of the past.
Community members expressed mixed reactions to the proposal, citing high unemployment and persistent erratic electricity supply as key concerns. One unemployed youth described how load reduction severely impacts his ability to make a living by teaching learners after hours, as power cuts disrupt his sessions.
Another resident indicated conditional willingness to cooperate, saying they would give the minister the benefit of the doubt but expressed skepticism about politicians’ promises. They noted that chasing away those trying to help leaves the community with nowhere to turn for solutions to electricity problems.
Ramokgopa also informed residents that the cabinet is exploring alternative energy sources, such as wind and solar power, to help reduce the high cost of electricity in the long term.
The minister’s engagement comes amid broader national efforts to address illegal electricity connections and infrastructure overload through smart meter rollouts and related strategies.
