When Eskom refers to a “feeder” in their technical reports or Load Reduction schedules, they are essentially talking about the main electrical artery that delivers power from a local substation to a specific neighborhood or group of streets.
Think of the electrical grid like a tree: the substation is the trunk, and the feeders are the large branches that split off to carry electricity to different parts of the community.
Where the Feeder Sits in the Grid
To understand why Eskom targets “feeders” for Load Reduction, it helps to see where they sit in the hierarchy:
Transmission Lines: High-voltage lines that carry power across the country (the “highways”).
Substations: Where high voltage is stepped down to medium voltage.
Feeders: The lines exiting the substation. One substation might have 10 or 20 different feeders, each heading to a different suburb or industrial zone.
Transformers: The grey boxes on poles or in green kiosks on your street corner that step the voltage down even further for home use.
Service Cables: The small wires that finally enter your house to power your electrical appliances, plugs, lights and geysers.
Why “feeders” are the Unit of Load Reduction
Unlike Load Shedding (which happens when there isn’t enough electricity nationwide), Load Reduction is a localized safety measure.
Eskom implements Load Reduction on specific feeders because those “branches” are drawing more power than the equipment is designed to handle—usually due to a combination of cold weather, illegal connections, and “zero-paying” meters. If they don’t switch off the entire feeder, the local transformers on those streets will literally explode or melt under the strain.
Why “feeders Removed From Load Reduction” Is a Good Thing
When you see a report stating that “151 feeders have been removed from Load Reduction,” it is actually a major milestone for those residents. It means:
Infrastructure Stabilization: Eskom has likely replaced damaged transformers or upgraded the line’s capacity.
Audit Success: The utility has often conducted “fines and audits” in that area, removing illegal connections and installing Smart Meters.
Exemption: Those specific neighborhoods are no longer subject to the “Load Reduction” schedule (the 5:00–9:00 and 17:00–22:00 outages) because the “feeder” is now operating within safe limits.
SUMMARY TABLE
| Term | Analogy | Why it gets switched off |
| Grid | The whole forest | National shortage (Load Shedding). |
| Substation | The trunk | Maintenance or major faults. |
| Feeder | The large branch | Overloading / Illegal connections (Load Reduction). |
| Transformer | The small twig | Localized fuse trips or “blow-outs.” |
Tin Mutt
Table Mountain was inaugurated as one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature in 2012.