Although South Africa is currently enjoying a brief suspension of load shedding, residents across Johannesburg and surrounding regions are still facing planned power outages and scheduled load reduction. Eskom and City Power have both confirmed service interruptions this week as part of network maintenance and electricity demand management.
Understanding when and where these power cuts will occur is essential for planning your daily routines and protecting your home appliances. Here’s a breakdown of this week’s Eskom load reduction and City Power outage schedule for the week.
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City Power: Planned Power Outages for Johannesburg Regions A and C
City Power has announced that residents in Johannesburg’s Region A and Region C will experience scheduled eight-hour power outages due to ongoing infrastructure maintenance.
Region A: Power Interruption on Thursday, 15 May
On Thursday, Region A will be affected by a planned power outage from 09h00 to 17h00. This outage will impact customers served by the Church Street Switching Station.
Areas affected in Region A include:
- Heather Road
- Moritz Avenue
- McDonald
- Kingsway Road
- North Street
- Aitken
- Church Street
- Lupton Drive
- Part of Richards
- Pennylane Street
- Broadway Walk
- Pendulum
- Grand Central Boulevard
- Nupen
- Jubilee & Nupen
Region C: Power Outages on Sunday, 18 May
A separate planned outage will occur on Sunday in Region C, affecting customers connected to the Panorama Switching Station, from 08h00 to 16h00.
Areas affected in Region C include:
- Panorama
- Weltevreden Park
- Allens Neck
City Power emphasized that these outages are necessary to perform essential maintenance work, which is part of their ongoing effort to improve service reliability and infrastructure resilience. Residents are advised to switch off all appliances during the outage to avoid damage when power is restored. As power may return earlier than scheduled, City Power recommends treating all electrical connections as live at all times.
City Power also issued an apology for the inconvenience and thanked customers for their patience and understanding.
Eskom Load Reduction Continues Despite Load Shedding Suspension
While City Power has currently suspended load reduction, the same cannot be said for Eskom. Eskom continues to enforce its load reduction programme in areas that it supplies directly.
Eskom’s spokesperson Amanda Qithi previously confirmed that even though load shedding is not active, load reduction remains in place across multiple regions, especially where electricity theft and illegal connections put strain on the grid.
Eskom Load Reduction Schedule: 12 – 18 May 2025
The load reduction schedule applies from Monday to Sunday, with different regions experiencing power cuts at various time slots throughout the week. This is part of Eskom’s ongoing strategy to reduce overloading and protect infrastructure from damage.
Areas affected by Eskom’s load reduction this week include:
- Protea Glen
- Orange Farm
- Vereeniging
- Daveyton (Extensions 2, 3, and 4)
- Mabopane Part 19 SP
- Garankuwa
- Chiawelo
- Kagiso
- Zola
Eskom has assured customers that any schedule changes or temporary suspensions of load reduction will be communicated in advance.
Load Reduction vs Load Shedding: What’s the Difference?
Many residents are confused about the difference between load reduction and load shedding. While load shedding is implemented due to generation capacity shortages, load reduction is a targeted measure used in areas where electricity theft, illegal connections, or network overloading are prevalent.
City Power’s Position
According to Isaac Mangena, spokesperson for City Power, load reduction remains suspended, but this could change if conditions such as rising consumption or tampering with meters worsen. “If needed, we will reinstate load reduction to prevent blackouts and infrastructure damage,” he warned.
How to Prepare for Scheduled Power Outages
Both Eskom and City Power recommend that residents in affected areas take proactive steps to prepare:
- Charge essential devices in advance
- Switch off all electrical appliances before and during outages
- Use gas stoves or alternative power sources where possible
- Avoid opening refrigerators frequently to keep food preserved
- Ensure back-up batteries for gate motors and alarms are charged
Stay Informed, Stay Prepared
Even without full-scale load shedding, electricity supply in Gauteng remains unpredictable due to scheduled load reduction and maintenance-related outages. Keeping up to date with Eskom and City Power notices can help you avoid unnecessary disruptions.
