Zimbabwe Started Like This: Mzansi Fumes As Eskom Claims 328 Days Without Load Shedding
South Africa’s power utility Eskom is celebrating 328 days without national load shedding, but furious residents in townships across the country say they are still sitting in the dark. While officials in Pretoria pat themselves on the back, communities in Soweto, Katlehong, Burgersfort, Dennilton, Hammanskraal, and Venda report daily power cuts that look and feel exactly like the blackouts Eskom claims have ended. The only difference is the name: load reduction instead of load shedding. But for families trying to cook dinner or study for exams, the darkness is the same.
‘Renaming It Doesn’t Mean It Ended’ – Township Residents Fume Over Daily Cuts
Social media erupted on April 12, 2026, as residents from Limpopo to KwaZulu-Natal shared their fury. Village Lawyer, a popular X user, posted:
“Renaming it doesn’t mean it ended. I was in Burgersfort over Easter weekend and our people still experience load shedding daily. For some odd reason this load reduction only affects poor black communities.”
The sentiment was echoed across the platform. Tumi Sole wrote on April 12, 2026:
“Yesterday I was in Katlehong and they had Loadshedding there. In Soweto, Dobsonville, they even have Loadshedding schedules. Abo Gogo and Aunties who often take care of families are left to bear the brunt. They call it Power Outages. The poor and vulnerable can never be.”
Residents described the brutal timing of the cuts. A user named Views from Kukuterian posted:
“Most of kasi’s/villagers in Limpopo still experience load reduction every day. Worse the load reduction is between 5am till 7am (when people have to prepare for work/school) and 7pm till 9pm (when people come back from work). The lies.”
Mante Pearl Lifestyle added on April 12, 2026:
“Stop lying. At Mafefe Limpopo we still experience it twice a day. From 05:00-07:00 & again from 19:00-21:00. Last night it was even worse from 19:00 till now we don’t have.”
Mzansi Fumes As Eskom Claims 328 Days Without Load Shedding (Image Credit: News24)‘A Losing Battle’ – Illegal Connections And Transformer Overloads Blamed
The official explanation from Eskom and municipalities is that load reduction is different from load shedding. Load reduction involves switching off power in specific high-density areas to prevent transformers from catching fire due to overloading. Officials say the problem is worsened by illegal connections and electricity theft. One user, Against all odds, explained:
“Warra loaf reduction means you have too many houses connected to a transformer and the load is too much on it. So to protect it, they must switch it off after certain hours. This load can be caused by illegal connections which are unmetered.”
But residents say they are tired of the excuses. Village Lawyer responded:
“It has been many years now. By now the issue could have been corrected. They must fix it and disconnect those people.”
Another user, Jymzi, revealed a deeper problem:
“The issue is that the same subcontractor ya Eskom they come back and convince people that they help them to bypass the system so wabona hore it’s losing battle nje.” (Translation: so you see it is a losing battle)
‘The Poor Can Never Be Free’ – Accusations Of Discrimination And A Two-Tier System
Many residents believe the situation is not about technical faults but about deliberate neglect of poor, predominantly black communities. Mokotedi Seroka posted:
“I am still in Burgersfort and yes, daily, electricity is cut for two hours in the evenings and mornings. This load reduction is discrimination. We all know Soweto and many affluent municipalities do not pay for electricity yet the so-called load reduction does not affect them.”
Jackie Phamotse, a well-known author, weighed in on April 12, 2026, criticising media reports:
“This is untrue. Soweto, Cosmo City and many other areas still have schedules for cut offs. This includes water shortages. Just because you people don’t do research it doesn’t mean facts need to be absolved. This is careless reporting!”
Nhlanhla Mkhize offered a political interpretation:
“It is a deliberate lie peddled to portray this ‘GNU’ as effective while it only serves suburban areas to the exclusion of the majority of poor black Africans. A neoliberal modus operandi that is a norm everywhere the blue party governs.”
One user, SirDealer Soul, directed anger at the ruling party:
“Lol lies. You took it away from the middle class and imposed it to the poor and renamed it to load reduction. There are areas that still have load shedding. ANC is telling us lies. You want a round of applause for lies?? Lol I HATE YOU ANC LEADERS AND SUPPORTERS.”
Eskom has not yet responded to the individual complaints. The utility continues to report that the national grid has remained stable since early 2025, with Kusile Power Station reaching full capacity and energy availability above 65 percent. President Ramaphosa has praised these figures. But for a family in Dennilton sitting in the dark from 5pm to 7pm every single day, the statistics mean nothing.