What plan has his Office put in place to eliminate load reduction in rural areas that are affected on an almost daily basis, with 2-4 hrs of no electricity on average?
Official source
Source domain: pmg.org.za
Collected on 17 June 2026
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Smart meter rollout in load reduction areas
The Department will accelerate the rollout of smart meters in areas affected by load reduction to improve visibility of consumption, enable remote management, and support regularisation of supply by converting illegal connections into formal, metered customers.
- Who it is for
- customers and communities in load reduction areas
- How to act on it
- The document does not describe an application or enrolment route; it states the rollout is being accelerated in load reduction areas.
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Firstly, the rollout of smart meters is being accelerated in load reduction areas.
Targeted network upgrades in degraded or overloaded areas
The Department will implement targeted network upgrades, including upgrading transformers, reinforcing feeders, and improving network protection systems in areas where infrastructure has been degraded or is operating beyond its design capacity.
- Who it is for
- communities served by feeders and infrastructure that are degraded or beyond design capacity in affected areas
- How to act on it
- The document does not describe an application or bidding route; it states that targeted network upgrades are being implemented.
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Thirdly, targeted network upgrades are being implemented.
Distributed energy solutions (embedded generation and battery storage) in constrained areas
The Department will support integration of distributed energy solutions in high risk and constrained areas, including deployment of embedded generation and battery storage solutions where appropriate to relieve pressure on the grid and improve local supply resilience.
- Who it is for
- high risk and constrained areas affected by load reduction
- How to act on it
- The document does not describe an application or procurement route; it states that distributed energy solutions will be deployed where appropriate.
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Fourthly, the Department is supporting the integration of distributed energy solutions in high risk and constrained areas.
Improved indigent registration to strengthen Free Basic Electricity
The Department will strengthen Free Basic Electricity by improving indigent registration so qualifying households receive a basic allocation of electricity, reducing incentives for illegal connections and stabilising demand on the network.
- Who it is for
- qualifying indigent households in affected areas
- How to act on it
- The document does not describe a specific application process; it states that indigent registration will be improved to implement Free Basic Electricity.
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Secondly, the Department is strengthening the implementation of the Free Basic Electricity policy through improved indigent registration.
Community engagement and customer education programmes to reduce theft and non-payment
The Department will implement sustained community engagement and customer education programmes to address behavioural drivers of electricity theft and non payment, in collaboration with municipalities, traditional leadership structures, and law enforcement agencies.
- Who it is for
- communities/customers in affected areas where electricity theft and non-payment drive load reduction
- How to act on it
- The document does not describe an application or attendance process; it states that programmes are being implemented in collaboration with municipalities, traditional leadership structures, and law enforcement agencies.
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Fifthly, sustained community engagement and customer education programmes are being implemented to address behavioural drivers of electricity theft and non payment.
Facts
Reference
NW315
Key Takeaways
- question reference NW315
- date: 20 March 2026
- ministry: Minister of Electricity and Energy
- target completion: March 2027
- interventions: smart meters rollout, indigent registration for FBE, targeted network upgrades, distributed energy integration, community engagement
- stakeholders: Department of Electricity and Energy, Eskom
- purpose: eliminate load reduction in rural/peri-urban areas
- definition: load reduction vs load shedding
- locations: rural and peri-urban areas
- outcome: improved reliability and revenue protection
Dates
Opening Date
20 March 2026
Closing Date
20 March 2026