Gauteng residents face a week of planned load reduction as Eskom continues to rotate outages across the province from Monday 17 August through to Monday 24 August. The authority says cuts will run in two daily windows and move through ten designated blocks covering areas from Soweto to the Vaal.
What to expect this week
The schedule is split into morning and evening windows. The morning outages will typically run in the early hours while the evening sessions last into peak-time, when demand is highest. Households and small businesses are being advised to prepare for interruptions to lighting, cooking, refrigeration and other electrically powered services.
- Morning window: generally 05:00 to 09:00
- Evening window: generally 17:00 to 22:00
Areas affected by block and day
The rotational plan names blocks A to J, with particular suburbs and townships assigned to each. Key allocations are:
| Day | Block(s) | Notable areas |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | A (05:00–09:00) | Ivory Park Ext 8 & 10; Kaalfontein Ext 1, 2 & 5; Rabie Ridge; Duduza; Protea Glen |
| Monday | B (17:00–22:00) | Dube; Mofolo East/West/South; Meadowlands Zones 6–8; Luipaardsvlei; Riverside |
| Tuesday | C (05:00–09:00) | Dobsonville (incl. Ext 5 & 7); Naledi; several Mabopane wards; Winterveldt Wards 2 & 13 |
| Tuesday | D (17:00–22:00) | Rethabiseng; Kudube; Moroka; Dhlamini; Klipspruit; Chiawelo; Kagiso |
| Wednesday | F (05:00–09:00) | Cuba; Graceland; Havana; Jetta; Lakeside; Palm Springs; Diepkloof (Zones 1,2,6); Orlando East; Soweto Nomzamo; Spruit View |
| Wednesday | I & J (17:00–22:00) | Monise; Mokoena; Mavimbela; Zuma; Ramakonopi East; Mfundo Park Ext 30B; Vosloorus areas; Orange Farm & extensions; Stretford Ext 2–10; Sharpeville; Evaton; Sebokeng Units listed |
| Thursday | H (05:00–09:00) | Vereeniging Sharpeville; Sebokeng units; Sebokeng East; Westside Park West; Daveyton Ext 2–4 |
| Thursday | G (17:00–22:00) | Tsakane Ext 5 & 11; Klippan; Mabopane areas; Winterveldt Ext 3; Ga-Rankuwa |
Further block assignments for Friday through Monday are part of the rotational plan but were not fully listed in the schedule provided for this release. Residents are encouraged to check with their local municipality or Eskom updates for any late changes.
Practical tips for residents and businesses
Planned load reduction gives households some lead time to prepare. Consider these steps:
- Charge essential mobile devices and power banks before the morning and evening windows.
- Keep refrigerated medicines and perishables in coolers with ice if the outage coincides with long periods without power.
- Limit use of high-power appliances immediately after power returns to avoid tripping supply.
- Businesses should test backup systems and communicate operating-hour changes to customers in advance.
Why this is still happening
Eskom has said it is phasing out load reduction province by province, with Gauteng and KwaZulu‑Natal the last to be managed under this regime while the utility works towards eliminating the practice by 2027. The rotational outages are part of efforts to balance supply and demand as repair and maintenance work continues at generating units nationally.
City and municipal emergency services have contingency plans for scheduled outages, but residents with critical medical equipment should make prior arrangements. Those unsure whether their area will be affected are advised to consult municipal notices or Eskom’s official channels for the most current information.
For the latest updates, follow your local municipality’s social media pages and Eskom advisories. If outages extend beyond the scheduled windows or create safety risks, a case should be opened with the relevant local police station and the municipality notified.
Reporting from Johannesburg.
