Eskom Vows Sustainable Power Solutions for Majakaneng After Protest Unrest

South Africa’s embattled power utility, Eskom, has reaffirmed its commitment to partnering with the community of Majakaneng in the North West Province to address long-standing electricity challenges. This comes in the wake of a recent community protest over persistent power outages, which culminated in the temporary closure of the N4 national road — a vital transport artery linking Rustenburg to Pretoria.

The protest highlighted growing public frustration over unreliable electricity supply in the region, particularly in the context of Eskom’s ongoing struggles with overburdened infrastructure, energy theft, and non-payment of services.

Eskom Responds to Community Concerns

In response to the unrest, Eskom’s North West team met with community representatives to explain the technical and operational causes of the recurring outages. According to the power utility, the primary issue is overloading of the local electricity network, which has forced Eskom to implement load reduction measures — a strategy designed to prevent system-wide failure in high-risk zones.

“These measures are essential to protect the infrastructure,” Eskom stated, underlining the severity of the strain placed on the existing electrical grid in Majakaneng.

Eskom further reiterated its position: “We remain committed to constructive and peaceful engagement with the Majakaneng community and its leadership. Through continued dialogue and cooperation, we aim to address the root causes of the electricity disruptions and work toward sustainable solutions.”

Load Reduction Explained: A Necessary Pain

Load reduction differs from scheduled load shedding. While load shedding is implemented to address national supply constraints, load reduction is a targeted intervention used in areas where local networks face imminent collapse due to excessive demand — often worsened by illegal connections and the widespread bypassing of electricity meters.

In Majakaneng, such conditions have reached critical levels.

Eskom revealed that although the township has over 3,500 registered customers, only 697 are actively purchasing electricity. This discrepancy, Eskom noted, points to significant levels of electricity theft and meter tampering, both of which contribute directly to system overloads and power failures.

Impact of Illegal Connections

Illegal electricity connections continue to be a major hurdle in maintaining stable supply in many communities across South Africa. In Majakaneng, Eskom said these unauthorized connections not only pose safety risks — including the potential for fatal electrocutions and electrical fires — but also degrade infrastructure and limit Eskom’s ability to plan and balance energy distribution effectively.

“To safeguard the system from a complete shutdown, Eskom is forced to implement load reduction,” the utility explained. It also warned that failure to curb these practices would only deepen the power crisis in the area.

Solutions on the Horizon: Smart Meters and Infrastructure Upgrades

During its meeting with community leaders, Eskom outlined several remedial strategies to mitigate the region’s electricity woes. These include:

• Accelerating the rollout of smart meters to improve electricity usage monitoring and revenue collection;

• Collaborating with community structures to raise awareness about legal and safe electricity usage;

• Exploring potential infrastructure expansion to boost local grid capacity and manage rising demand.

Smart meters, in particular, offer dual benefits: they empower customers to better manage their consumption while enabling Eskom to detect tampering and non-payment in real time. However, the success of these initiatives depends heavily on community buy-in and behavioural change.

A Call for Responsible Energy Use and Payment Compliance

Eskom stressed that long-term service improvements depend on residents’ willingness to pay for electricity. The utility urged the Majakaneng community to adopt legal and responsible energy consumption practices, warning that failure to do so would jeopardize future investments and ongoing service delivery.

“For services to be sustained and improved, they must be paid for,” the statement read. Eskom also emphasized that it remains dedicated to transparency, safety, and ongoing communication as part of its broader service restoration mission in the area.

Maintaining Engagement and Building Trust

This recent protest is not the first time Eskom has encountered resistance in communities facing power supply disruptions. However, the utility insists that dialogue — not confrontation — is the best path forward. Its recent engagement in Majakaneng builds upon earlier meetings and community consultations aimed at finding collaborative solutions.

Community leaders have reportedly expressed cautious optimism, contingent on Eskom’s ability to deliver on its promises and offer credible timelines for visible improvements.

The Majakaneng protest served as a stark reminder of the broader socio-economic tensions surrounding electricity access in South Africa. While Eskom continues to face operational and financial constraints, its latest outreach to the North West community signals a shift toward more people-centred, participatory approaches to resolving service delivery issues.

As Eskom pushes ahead with smart meter installations and capacity upgrades, the success of these initiatives will depend not only on technical fixes but also on mutual trust, payment compliance, and sustained community engagement.