Rural KZN households left without electricity as Eskom implements load reduction

Load reduction by Eskom is leaving households in the rural area of KwaMaphumulo, north of Durban, without electricity for hours at a time. Eskom says this is a safety measure to protect overloaded transformers.

Residents of Maqumbi in KwaMaphumulo say they face frequent power outages, often for more than four hours at a time. Sometimes the power is off the whole day, says resident Sandile Majola, but the usual time is 5pm to 9pm almost every day.

“We are happy when a day goes by without a power failure,” said Majola.

Majola, who has a legal connection and prepaid electricity, said that only certain sections of Maqumbi are affected, and they all know the reason: illegal connections to the power network. Some residents want Eskom to remove all the illegal connections.

In nearby Mshukangubo, says resident Phiwe Mhlongo, only about eight of 50 houses are legally connected.

“I won’t lie to you, we don’t pay for electricity at home, and only a few families have legal electricity in this area, and it has been like that for years. But people still connect illegally to the Eskom transformer,” she said.

Ward councillor Mfanafuthi Biyela (IFP) confirmed that in Mshukangubo, most households use illegal electricity.

“I have called a meeting with Eskom and the community to address the matter. The power outages are affecting schools and the clinic, and it is not fair to people who are paying for electricity,” said Biyela.

The clinic has a generator.

Monde Bala, Eskom group distribution executive, said last month there was network overload in some areas with the onset of winter. Overloaded transformers as a result of electricity theft “present a serious threat to human life”. Eskom only implemented load reduction “as a very last resort for the shortest periods possible after all other options have been exhausted”.

He said “around 2,111” transformers were frequently overloaded across the country, with about 900 awaiting replacement.

Responding to GroundUp’s questions about KwaMaphumulo, Eskom’s media desk said load reduction usually took place during peak hours when the local network was overloaded; “however… it may be extended as the duration is determined by the increased consumption that ultimately overloads the network.”

“To prevent public safety hazards and the risk of network overloading, which can lead to load reduction measures and extended unplanned power outages, Eskom strongly urges customers to avoid illegal connections, as this can negatively impact the entire local community.”

Eskom did not respond to our question about when households in the area would be connected legally to the electricity grid. DM

First published by GroundUp.