Eskom has installed just over half of its targeted smart meters on networks in areas where it has implemented load-reduction to stop electricity leaking from the grid.
The state-owned company has implemented load-reduction to effectively throttle power supply to areas where cable theft, bypassed meters and overloaded infrastructure are a regular occurrence. After the installation of smart meters, these areas become exempted from load-reduction.
Eskom lost R30 billion in revenue due to electricity theft in the form of illegal connections and meter tampering in the most recent financial year. So far, the utility has deployed 279 428 smart meters on load-reduction feeders against a target of 577 347 – leaving it 52% behind, ITWeb’s calculations based on a Friday evening statement show.
Rocks, threats and work stoppages
More than 122 000 planned meter conversions have been delayed because “installation teams continue to face persistent resistance, including intimidation, violent incidents and repeated work stoppages,” Eskom says.
“These disruptions have led to deployment delays, the redeployment of teams, and heightened safety risks for Eskom employees and contractors... undermining the stability and predictability of the rollout programme.”
Eskom says this is despite extensive community and stakeholder engagement through ward councillors, public meetings, radio platforms and social media to support the implementation of the programme.
Even if all 122 000 delayed installations had been completed, the total would reach approximately 401 000 – still 30% short of the 577 347 target.
The January pledge
In a 16 January power system update, Eskom said it aimed to connect 577 347 meters in areas subject to load-reduction by March 2026, with full completion expected in 2027, to reach 1.69 million customers.
This is part of its strategy to eliminate load-reduction by 2027.
More than 600 000 customers across South Africa are no longer impacted by load-reduction, representing more than 36% of targeted households, with full elimination achieved in the Northern and Western Cape, Eskom said in its most recent update on the power grid.
“This targeted deployment is critical to easing grid pressure, while empowering customers with real-time consumption data and greater control over their energy usage,” Eskom says.
The big picture
Eskom aims to cover 6.2 million homes with intelligent devices by March 2029, with the load-reduction phase forming part of a broader rollout hitting seven million customers by 2030, various statements and its annual report indicate.
In October 2025, Eskom couldn’t tell Parliament how much the overall 6.2 million smart meter rollout would cost, hadn’t finalised procurement and didn’t have all meters in stock.
Despite this, senior executive Collin Reddy expressed confidence the utility would meet its March 2026 target of 577 347 meters, even though it only had “roughly 278 000 meters in stock” as of last October.
In mid-October 2025, Eskom turned a profit for the first time in eight years, with chairman Mteto Nyati telling ITWeb the utility had “turned the corner”.
Nyati attributed the turnaround to the end of load-shedding, lower diesel costs and reduced debt. Eskom reported profit before tax of R23.9 billion, to be invested back into critical infrastructure and energy security.
Eskom said in its latest power update that it “reached 365 consecutive days without load-shedding – the first full year without power interruptions since September 2018”.
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