Protests flare across Soweto as residents complain of repeated electricity outages

Communities across Soweto have staged repeated protests in recent weeks as load reduction, cable theft and infrastructure challenges have led to repeated power cuts. 

The latest protest over random power outages in Soweto came early on Wednesday morning, 25 June. In Chiawelo Extension 2, Soweto residents surprised commuters when they staged a huge protest on Chris Hani Road, Soweto’s gateway to Johannesburg.

With no Johannesburg Metro police Department (JMPD) on hand at the start of the protest, Soweto taxi associations had to intervene to ensure that some taxi services could still operate. Other modes of public transport, such as scholar transport and buses, had to navigate different routes or abandon their services.

Over the last two months, no fewer than six Soweto communities have reached out to Daily Maverick over their random power outages. They complain of lengthy electricity cuts caused by infrastructure damage and cable theft.

Chiawelo Extension 2

“It’s very difficult. My children had just begun writing their exams, but it’s hard for them to do their studies in the dark, and they are here and very angry as you can see,” Ditsamai Moroka, (61), told Daily Maverick on Wednesday morning.

“In the decades that we have been here, it’s the first time we engage in a community protest,” Moroka said.

Resident Bongani Cindi said the community has not had power since 3 June when their electricity box went up in flames because of a cable fault.  Cindi said some residents have had a longer spell without power.

“We took the matter to our councillor, who passed it on to Eskom. The Eskom contractors promised us that they will come and fix the fault but nothing has happened. Crime has increased drastically during the outage and our elderly people are struggling to survive,” Cindi said. 

Business came to a standstill at the Mangalani Complex, a local mall.

“I live here in Chiawelo and have been working for this Chicken Licken for years, but I have never seen something like this. I don’t know, they might turn us away. Even the taxi associations are looking after their own,” said a Chicken Licken employee, who was waiting outside the store with colleagues, as tyre fires burned around them.

Old Dobsonville

In some areas in Dobsonville, such as Ward 48, residents say they have hardly had electricity since September 2024. Since then, the implementation of load reduction has taken their electricity crisis from bad to worse.

“Load reduction, load shedding – we understand the mechanics. But when outages stretch beyond three days a week, the explanation starts to wear thin. Some wards have power, we don’t,” Old Dobsonville resident Sipho Sibiya (59) said.

While load shedding has been limited this year, many communities face daily power cuts under the load reduction programme. 

Read more: Ramokgopa apologises, admits management and planning failures as load shedding hits again

Sibiya said he has come to anticipate the familiar rhythm of load reduction – power cuts at 5am, restored at 10am. However, he said this rhythm has been disrupted. At 10am, the lights often remain off without explanation.

Load reduction in the area was implemented in July 2024.

Read more: Load reduction hits Joburg to prevent ‘total grid collapse’

Load reduction was implemented in many areas in Soweto identified as being overloaded. While many residents think load reduction relates to shortfalls in electricity generation, it’s implemented to manage network capacity and prevent infrastructure failure in overloaded areas.

Load reduction is currently being implemented in seven provinces across the country.

According to residents, the power blackouts in Soweto last to the point where they often go to bed without any electricity, and when they wake up the next morning, after it may have come on overnight, Eskom implements load reduction from 5am.

“It’s unbelievable,” Old Dobsonville resident Kgomotso Diutlwleng (51) said.

Deputy chair of the Soweto Electricity Crisis Committee (SECC), Mduduzi Makhubo, acknowledged the residents’ frustrations, squarely placing the blame on what he termed Eskom’s systemic failure.

“It’s bad,” Makhubo said, signalling a growing wave of discontent in Soweto over the electricity crisis.

“As SECC, we condemn how Eskom is treating customers, especially the working class and the poor, for whom they have no sympathy,” Makhubo said.

Meadowlands

Recently, Eskom said technicians were on site in Meadowlands restoring supply to customers in Meadowlands, Zone 1. This followed a community outcry and protests over the power outages.

Two weeks ago, Meadowlands residents barricaded several streets, demanding the restoration of their electricity supply. One resident told Daily Maverick that they had not had electricity for three weeks.

“We are tired of waking up and folding our arms, hoping that power will be restored. It has been a painful three weeks,” Sizakele Mkhize (43), a Meadowlands resident, said.

Other affected areas in Meadowlands include Zones 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10. According to Eskom, the outages were caused by multiple cable faults and a result of network overloading.

“I mean, you hardly have electricity in the house at any given time. If it is restored, it’s only for two or three hours, and it’s gone,” Meadowlands resident Pule Mohohi (29) said.

Phiri-Mapetla

Following lengthy power outages, fed-up residents from Phiri and surrounding areas also took to the streets and blockaded Koma Road two weeks ago, demanding an immediate end to random power outages. 

“Let’s gather for a community shutdown. We are tired of electricity and water outages. We have sick kids, parents and grandparents who are in need of these utilities,’’ a message circulating in the community said.

“Our electricity is on and off, and in some instances, we go days without it,’’ activist and Phiri-Mapetla community leader Kedibone Deu said.

Read more: ‘It’s chaos’ — Eskom prepaid meter scramble leads to death in Soweto

Eskom

A number of Soweto residents told Daily Maverick they believed they were being subjected to both load reduction and load shedding. But Eskom Gauteng spokesperson Amanda Qithi clarified that load reduction was suspended when load shedding was implemented. 

“Please note that when load shedding is implemented, load reduction is immediately suspended. We do not implement load reduction and loadshedding at the same time,” Qithi said.

“Load reduction is implemented during peak periods in the morning from 5am–9am and in the evenings from 5pm–10pm,” Qithi said.

“If electricity is not restored after load reduction, customers are advised to log calls using any of our self-service channels and they will receive a reference number. This ensures that we are alerted of the outage so that we can attend to it as soon as it is reported,” Qithi said.

She said Old Dobsonville residents were experiencing load reduction, which is implemented across parts of Gauteng. 

“Load reduction is a long-established process Eskom uses in specific areas when there is sufficient electricity available, but transformers are in danger of overloading. Load reduction is a proactive measure that Eskom uses to protect human life, equipment from failing when it overloads,” added Qithi.

Daily Maverick asked Eskom, at what point will they permanently suspend load reduction in Soweto and across affected areas in Gauteng.

Qithi responded: “Eskom will continue to implement load reduction in areas where transformers are at risk due to overloading to prevent failure of equipment and innocent lives that could be impacted should equipment fail or explode due to such overloading.”

Qithi reminded customers who are still not paying for electricity that tampering with electricity meters is punishable by law, and that anyone found guilty may face prosecution, fines or imprisonment. Qithi also advised it was possible for such transgressing customers to be removed from the load-reduction list.

“Communities that experience load reduction can be removed from the list by refraining from conducting illegal electricity-related acts and ensuring that energy losses from their respective feeders are not at risk as a result of overloading as we have done with such areas,” Qithi said.

She suggested cable theft, illegal electricity connections and infrastructure failure were the causes of the power failures. 

Eskom’s diagnosis of the outages in Meadowlands revealed they were mainly caused by multiple cable faults and a result of network overloading, but this seems to also be the issue in many of the affected Soweto communities.

When asked on Wednesday if the power issues in Meadowlands have been resolved, Qithi responded: “With outages, you can never really say everything has been sorted out, because someone will come in with an illegal connection and reverse what has been fixed but Eskom is working with the community.”

Responding to the Chiawelo Extension 2 electricity issues, Qithi said Chiawelo has mostly had constant supply and hardly any problems, which was underscored by residents’own admission that they have never held a single protest over power.

“If we had their reference number, we would be able to assist them, but nothing has been escalated to the provincial office,” she said. 

Qithi reminded customers currently being subjected to load reduction that they can get themselves removed if they pay for their electricity, purchase it from registered vendors and refrain from bypassing and tampering with their meters. DM