Load Shedding Map: Which Gauteng Suburbs Are Hit the Hardest?
Load shedding continues to affect Gauteng residents, with certain suburbs experiencing more frequent and longer power outages. Understanding which areas are hardest hit helps individuals and businesses to prepare and adapt better. This article breaks down the current load reduction schedule, highlights the most affected suburbs, and explains the factors behind the uneven distribution of power cuts in Gauteng.
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Table of contents
What Is Load Shedding?
Load shedding refers to planned power outages implemented by Eskom, South Africa’s national electricity supplier. It is done to balance electricity supply and demand and avoid a total grid collapse. When demand surpasses supply due to generation shortfalls or maintenance issues, Eskom schedules rotational blackouts in different regions, usually lasting several hours.
Gauteng’s Load Shedding Schedule Overview
As of August 2025, Eskom’s load reduction schedule in Gauteng is planned meticulously with blocks of suburbs allocated specific blackout times. These scheduled power cuts can last from five to six hours depending on the time of day and severity of power constraints.
The load shedding operates on a seven-day rotation, meaning different areas experience outages on different days, usually during peak morning (05:00-09:00) and early evening (17:00-22:00) periods.
Suburbs Most Affected by Load Shedding
According to the latest official schedules, some of the Gauteng suburbs most frequently affected by load shedding include:
- Tsakane
- Protea North
- Diepkloof
- Naledi
- Mapetla
- Dube
- Orange Farm
- Garankuwa
- Rabie Ridge
- Chiawelo
These areas typically face power cuts during peak hours multiple times per week due to their inclusion in high-frequency load reduction blocks.
Morning vs Evening Load Shedding
Some suburbs are mainly impacted during morning hours from 5 am to 9 am, such as Tsakane and Protea North. Others predominantly experience blackouts in the evening from 5 pm to 10 pm, including regions like Beverly Hills, Cuba, and Orlando East. This allocation seeks to evenly distribute the burden while managing demand peaks.
Why Some Areas Are Hit Harder
Load shedding distribution is influenced by several factors including:
- Volume of electricity demand per area
- Network infrastructure capacity and limitations
- Illegal electricity connections and vandalism causing network strain
- Theft of network equipment
- Prioritised supply to essential services and commercial hubs
Suburbs with higher demand or network vulnerabilities often end up receiving more frequent cuts.
Eskom’s Measures and Government Efforts
Minister of Electricity and Energy Kgosientsho David Ramokgopa confirms that loadshedding is a planned intervention. He urges consumers to avoid illegal connections and tampering which worsen network reliability.
Both Eskom and provincial authorities continue efforts to repair infrastructure, curb theft, and improve maintenance schedules to reduce the need for load shedding.
How Residents Can Prepare
Residents in affected suburbs should stay updated by checking the latest schedules online or via official apps. Preparing with backup power solutions, avoiding peak electricity usage during blackout periods, and practising energy-saving measures can mitigate disruption.
Power Supply
While national efforts are underway to improve power generation capacity and infrastructure, load shedding remains an ongoing challenge in Gauteng. Understanding which suburbs are most affected helps communities prepare and promotes greater cooperation in managing electricity demand.
