How many municipal customers receive free basic electricity?
South African municipalities reported 1,849,746 electricity service points receiving free basic electricity in the financial year ended 30 June 2023. That was 9,657 more than in 2022. The share of municipal electricity service points receiving the benefit fell from 14.3% to 13.9%, because the total number of points supplied grew faster. Stats SA Non-Financial Census of Municipalities 2023, Table B, page 5
By Freepaid · Published
The 2023 figures by province
Stats SA calls each service point a consumer unit. The final column divides the number of units receiving free basic electricity by all units receiving electricity from municipalities in that province.
| Province | Municipal electricity service points | Receiving free basic electricity | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Cape | 1,467,367 | 241,557 | 16.5% |
| Free State | 901,626 | 171,513 | 19.0% |
| Gauteng | 2,866,014 | 357,414 | 12.5% |
| KwaZulu-Natal | 2,079,545 | 323,029 | 15.5% |
| Limpopo | 1,634,578 | 68,214 | 4.2% |
| Mpumalanga | 1,189,662 | 74,680 | 6.3% |
| North West | 1,089,596 | 107,092 | 9.8% |
| Northern Cape | 337,949 | 71,484 | 21.2% |
| Western Cape | 1,695,497 | 434,763 | 25.6% |
| South Africa | 13,261,834 | 1,849,746 | 13.9% |
The Western Cape reported the highest share among provinces, at 25.6%. Gauteng had a lower share at 12.5%, but accounted for 357,414 service points receiving the benefit, second only to the Western Cape. KwaZulu-Natal recorded 115,523 more recipients than in 2022. Falling counts in several other provinces meant the national gain was smaller. Stats SA Non-Financial Census of Municipalities 2023, Table B, page 5
What a municipal service point represents
A consumer unit is a place or account to which a municipality delivers a service and would send one bill if it charged for it. A single point may serve several households, for example where a main house and backyard rooms share a connection. The municipal census collects figures from municipalities, whereas Stats SA’s General Household Survey samples households. The two use different units of measurement. Stats SA Non-Financial Census of Municipalities 2023, explanatory notes and glossary, pages 33–34
The denominator here is every service point that municipalities reported supplying with electricity, rather than the pool of eligible households. To measure how many eligible households actually receive the benefit, you would need a separate count of qualifying households and a way to match them to recipients. For how households pay for the electricity they use, see Freepaid’s prepaid electricity meter figures.
Sources
The figures come from Statistics South Africa’s Non-Financial Census of Municipalities for the year ended 30 June 2023, published in March 2025. Freepaid calculated the changes using the 2022 figures as presented in the 2023 release. Stats SA publication and data downloads
Last source check · 3 November 2026.