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The SAHRC sets up a station ahead of its load reduction inquiry.
The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) kicks off a three-day inquiry on Monday into a new phenomenon of load reduction, which it says is seemingly targeted at a particular demographic.
The hearings will access the legal, policy and practical justifications for Eskom’s power cuts, as well as identify the demographics of the communities most disproportionately impacted by the electricity blackouts.
Chairperson of the inquiry, Commissioner Tshepo Madlingozi says, “First of all, we’ll need to distinguish between load shedding and load reduction. Load shedding is rotational, it is evenly applied across all communities in order to safeguard the grid. Load reduction, in comparison, is targeted. Why are we doing the inquiry now, load reduction is a fairly recent phenomenon, while load shedding, we got some reprieve. But load reduction, we’ve received complaints from numerous communities that have come to us to allege that they feel targeted – they don’t understand the policy justification and that it is not applied fairly.”
More details about the inquiry in the SAHRC X post below:
The #LoadReduction Inquiry is instituted in accordance with the Commission’s mandate, as outlined in Section 184(2) of the Constitution, which authorises the Commission to investigate and report on human rights violations and take necessary steps to address any infringements.
— SAHRCommission (@SAHRCommission) February 2, 2025
PODCAST | SAHRC to begin a national investigative inquiry into load reduction:
