Free State Load Shedding & Power Outages
South Africa has no open live feed, so the quickest way to check Free State is the official outage page from Eskom and Centlec.
Centlec supplies about 193,430 consumers in Mangaung, and a substation failure blacked out all of Bloemfontein on 20 March 2023. Free State municipalities owe 27% of Eskom's municipal arrears, led by Maluti-a-Phofung and Matjhabeng. Eskom's Gariep hydro station and Ingula pumped storage scheme lie on the province's borders. Severe thunderstorms and damaging winds lead SAWS's Free State warnings, with five snow warnings between May 2025 and November 2026.
Eskom load shedding was suspended when we last reviewed it on 3 November 2026. Check today's status ↗
Who to contact in Free State
The electricity distributors responsible for faults in Free State. Your electricity bill shows which one supplies you.
| Electricity distributor | Official outage page | Report by phone | Total customers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eskom | Open ↗ | 08600 37566 | |
| Centlec | Open ↗ | 051 409 2345 |
If you see a fallen power line, do not touch it or go near it and call 112.
Free State on the South Africa map
Boundaries: Natural Earth (public domain).
Weather warnings
We don't republish South African Weather Service (SAWS) warnings, so nothing here can go out of date. See current warnings on its site ↗
Largest places in Free State
- Bloemfontein
- Welkom
- Bethlehem
- Sasolburg
Nearby provinces
Reliability in Free State
Average minutes without power and interruptions per customer, as published by the regulator or operator
| Electricity distributor | Time without power | Interruptions | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eskom | 34 hr 55 min | 11.70 | 2025 |
Definitions vary by source, for example in how major storms are treated, so these figures aren't a ranking. See each operator's page for the exact scope.
Major power outages affecting Free State
Totals may cover every area affected, not only this one. Full accounts are on the South Africa page.
Bloemfontein city-wide blackout
20 March 2023
Free State power outage news
- Municipalities leave election winners with R122.5bn Eskom billIOL · Nov 3, 8:32 AM EST
- South African votes put Eskom municipal debt clean-up at riskPolity.org.za · Nov 3, 7:38 AM EST
- 110 municipalities across South Africa owe Eskom over R1 million each with total debt of R122.5 billionMyBroadband · Nov 3, 7:00 AM EST
- Top South African property investor dumping Eskom at its shopping mallsDaily Investor · Nov 3, 6:00 AM EST
- Eskom denies disconnecting Sunninghill streetlights | Fourways ReviewThe Citizen · Nov 3, 5:06 AM EST
Free State power outage FAQ
Who do I contact about a power outage in Free State?
Eskom (08600 37566) and Centlec (051 409 2345) repair the local network in Free State, which includes Bloemfontein, Welkom and Bethlehem.
What was the biggest power outage in Free State?
Bloemfontein city-wide blackout (20 March 2023).
How reliable is the power supply in Free State?
Eskom reported 34 hr 55 min of interruption per customer in 2025. Scope differs between sources, so treat these as a guide and not a ranking.
Cite this page
You may reuse our derived data under CC BY 4.0 with attribution. Check each source's terms before reusing load-shedding or weather information.
PowerOutageTracker.com. "Free State Load Shedding & Power Outages." Accessed 3 November 2026. https://poweroutagetracker.com/world/south-africa/free-state
Sources (5)
- Centlec (SOC) Ltd, Annual report 2024-25
- Daily Maverick, Bloemfontein left in the dark as lights go out for the whole city overnight, 21 March 2023
- Eskom Holdings, Performance report 2026 (year to 31 March 2026)
- Eskom Generation, Peaking power stations
- South African Weather Service, CAP warnings RSS feed