- Duduza residents block roads with burning tyres, demanding that Eskom scrap five-hour daily electricity cuts.
- Residents feel unfairly punished after paying R500 per household for reconnection following a six-month blackout.
Angry residents of Duduza in Ekurhuleni took to the streets demanding that Eskom scrap their daily load reduction.
They blocked main roads with rocks and burning tyres, stopping people from entering the area. Public order police had to be called in to control the situation.
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Residents received a 12-month load-reduction schedule that cuts their electricity for five hours every day.
Last year, people in the Bluegumview Section went without electricity for six months after their transformer broke.
After Eskom checked which homes had stolen electricity, residents were told to pay R500 per house to get reconnected. They also got new prepaid electricity meters.
Concerned resident Vusi Mdlalose said they feel unfairly targeted by Eskom, which is failing to upgrade the system as more people move to the area.
"The transformer is overloaded because the township is bigger now. We have shops in our yards and rent out backrooms to people," he said.
"When they put in the electricity, it was only for a two-room house that used power for a stove and lights. We have made our houses bigger and use much more electricity now."
Mdlalose said it is time for Eskom to check all homes and remove those stealing electricity from the grid.
"We cannot be punished with criminals. For six months, we had no electricity while the rest of the community was connected," he said.
"We did what Eskom asked and raised all the money they wanted. But now we are told we must go without electricity for five hours every day."
Another resident, Dinah Molefe, said the load reduction makes life hard for schoolchildren who need to study at night and sick family members who need machines plugged into electricity.
"It is sad that in 2025, we still have houses burning down from candles and damaged appliances. Eskom refuses to replace them," she said.
"We feel like we are being punished for Eskom's failure to fix their old equipment."
Residents are threatening to protest every day until Eskom officials come to speak to them about a permanent solution that does not include load-shedding or load reduction.
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Eskom has not yet commented on the matter.
Picture above: Residents protesting.
