Hammanskraal — Gauteng Province Premier Panyaza Lesufi and Minister of Electricity and Energy, Dr Kgosientso Ramokgopa have appealed to residents of Temba and surrounding areas in Hammanskraal to allow the installation of smart meters, describing the initiative as urgent and necessary to resolve persistent load reduction and electricity infrastructure challenges before the onset of winter.
Addressing a packed PH Moraka High School Hall, the two leaders confronted a community weary of repeated promises, prolonged outages, rising electricity costs and deteriorating infrastructure. While the engagement focused on load reduction, Premier Lesufi said the intervention forms part of a broader intergovernmental plan aimed at stabilising and modernising the area’s electricity network.
“This is not just about load reduction,” Premier Lesufi said. “It is about repairing damaged transformers, ensuring high mast lights are functioning, formalising connections, and making sure that no household is left in darkness.”
Residents raised deep frustrations. Some questioned the reliability of smart meters, saying older meters were still functioning properly. Others complained about faulty installations, difficulties using coupons on electricity units, and confusion over whether the new meters would be free. There were allegations of residents being told they would have to pay thousands of rand for installations. Concerns were also raised about backyard dwellers, informal settlements not formally recognised in municipal systems, and businesses allegedly continuing to operate through illegal connections without consequence.
Illegal connections emerged as a central tension of the meeting. While many residents acknowledged the dangers, they argued that escalating electricity costs and poverty have left some with little choice. Several speakers insisted that large businesses profiting from illegal connections must be held accountable, arguing that enforcement often appears selective.
Minister Ramokgopa did not dispute the seriousness of the problem. He explained that load reduction in Gauteng is largely driven by strain on local infrastructure caused by overloading. Transformers, he said, are designed to serve a limited number of households, yet in many areas a single connection point is illegally extended to multiple homes, forcing transformers to shut down to prevent explosions.
“Repairing one damaged transformer can cost up to R500,000. The system protects itself. If it does not switch off, it explodes,” he said.
The Minister stressed that the smart meter programme is not intended to punish residents but to formalise electricity use and protect infrastructure. Households classified as indigent will receive free basic electricity, loaded directly onto their smart meters each month. This, he said, will eliminate delays and administrative failures that have sometimes prevented qualifying families from receiving their allocations.
“There will no longer be money moving between Eskom and municipalities before it reaches beneficiaries,” Minister Ramokgopa said. “Free electricity will go straight into the smart meters of indigent households monthly.”
He added that debts will be addressed separately and, on a case-by-case basis. Those who can afford to pay will be expected to do so, including businesses. However, indigent households burdened by historical debt will be considered with the aim of giving qualifying families an opportunity to start afresh under a formalised system. Businesses found to have connected illegally while making profits, he said, will be compelled to pay what they owe.
The Premier emphasised that the programme would not shame those who had connected illegally but would instead bring them into a regulated system. “No one should be without electricity, especially when they are South Africans,” Premier Lesufi said.
Residents also raised concerns about broken streetlights, exposed wiring, non-functional generators and long-standing infrastructure failures dating back years. Some spoke of tragedies, including electrocutions and transformer explosions, and accused local leadership of failing to respond adequately. Questions were also posed about whether the intervention was linked to upcoming elections.
In response, Minister Ramokgopa said the engagement in Hammanskraal forms part of a broader public participation and consultation process being conducted in communities across the country facing electricity challenges. He noted that progress has been made in provinces including the Western Cape, Northern Cape, North West, Free State and Eastern Cape, while interventions in Limpopo and Mpumalanga are targeted for completion by October 2026. The Minister added that electricity challenges differ from province to province and region to region, requiring tailored solutions.
He committed to improving accountability and urged residents to register their concerns through mobile customer care units deployed outside the venue, so that their immediate concerns could be addressed. He also announced that additional walk-in centres would be opened and that the capacity of existing centres would be strengthened. Community members, however, said any expansion of capacity should prioritise employment opportunities for local residents.
The timeline for the Hammanskraal intervention, he said, is between six and seven weeks, with completion targeted for May or June 2026. He warned that the only factor likely to delay implementation would be resistance to installing smart meters.
“Winter is coming,” the Minister said. “If we work together, we can complete this before the cold months. Children must be able to wash with warm water before school and study at night.”
Premier Lesufi reiterated the plea, stressing that high-mast lighting should remain operational even during load-reduction periods to ensure communities are not left in total darkness. The broader plan also includes expanding indigent support packages to incorporate solar solutions and connectivity initiatives.
Both leaders said the programme’s success depends on cooperation between the government and the community. They warned that without formalising electricity connections through smart meters, overloading of transformers and continued load reduction would persist.
Minister Ramokgopa said the installation of smart meters would allow the government to stabilise electricity supply in Hammanskraal ahead of winter and to improve long-term infrastructure management.
The next phase of the programme in Hammanskraal will unfold over the next six to seven weeks, with the government targeting completion before June 2026.