l
Image: Flickr
31 March solar deadline nears as Eskom overreach clouds the rules
Eskom and municipalities are pushing parallel compliance demands that risk blocking lawful solar uptake
- Eskom’s 31 March deadline for registration of solar installations is approaching, yet many households are not registering due to confusion and mixed signals
- Eskom and some municipalities are introducing parallel compliance processes that duplicate existing legal requirements
- Law-abiding households face rising costs and threats of disconnection despite meeting national safety standards
- OUTA says customers with compliant systems should not be bullied into unlawful or unnecessary processes
Eskom’s 31 March 2026 deadline for registering residential solar PV and battery energy storage (BES) systems is looming, with minimal uptake of their demand to register by customers. Not because households are unwilling to comply, but because the rules are unclear, inconsistent, and in some cases, unlawful.
The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) has raised serious concerns about parallel compliance processes introduced by Eskom Distribution and certain municipal electricity distributors. These processes apply to systems installed behind the electricity meter on private property, despite existing national legislation, regulations, and mandatory safety and technical standards that already govern safety and technical compliance.
“Households are being asked to comply twice for the same system. That is not regulation. That is overreach,” says Wayne Duvenage, CEO of OUTA.
South Africa already has a clear legal framework for electrical installations. Systems must meet defined safety and technical standards and be certified through a valid Certificate of Compliance issued by a registered electrical contractor. That is the law. Any additional requirements must align with it; they cannot duplicate it, they cannot override it. “Eskom cannot rewrite the rules because it suits them. The law is clear, and it must be applied consistently,” Duvenage adds.
Instead, Eskom and some municipalities are applying fragmented and inconsistent rules. The result is confusion, rising compliance costs, and growing resistance from households trying to do the right thing.
At a time when South Africans are investing their own money to secure energy supply and reduce pressure on the grid, this approach is counterproductive.
OUTA supports proper safety oversight, which is not in dispute. What is in dispute is regulatory overreach.
OUTA’s advice to residential customers
OUTA has published a detailed background on Eskom and municipal solar registration requirements, setting out the legal context and why these additional processes are being challenged. This is available here.
It is OUTA’s position that homeowners with solar PV battery systems, or those planning to install, should:
- Use accredited, experienced installers
- Ensure your system has a valid Certificate of Compliance issued by a registered electrician or electrical contractor recognised by the Department of Employment and Labour
A valid Certificate of Compliance is lawful proof that your system meets all required safety and technical standards. Eskom or municipal registration processes that fall outside national legal requirements.
It is further OUTA’s position that if a system does not feed electricity back into the grid, or the homeowner does not want to be compensated for exported energy, and the system has a valid Certificate of Compliance, the homeowner may choose to forgo Eskom or municipal registration processes that fall outside national legal requirements.
Where a system both imports from and exports electricity into the grid, and the homeowner wants to be compensated for exported energy, registration with the electricity provider is required.
If a law-abiding homeowner with a valid Certificate of Compliance receives formal notice of disconnection, OUTA recommends that the action should be challenged. Legal advice should be sought to oppose any enforcement that is not supported by law.
The answer to the residential solar PV/BES registration confusion is not more red tape. It is consistent, lawful, and technically sound regulation that supports, rather than obstructs, safe installation, protects consumers, and enables households to secure their own energy supply. Get the rules right, apply them consistently, and respect the rights of people who are acting within the law.
Supporting Documents
Soundclip is available here.
Help OUTA oppose corruption
OUTA stands up against government corruption and mismanagement.
Our work is made possible through donations by our paying supporters.
Join us in working towards a better South Africa by becoming a paying OUTA supporter.
In July 2025, we won a court order overturning the Karpowership generation licences, and effectively blocked this project (see more here).
In September 2024, we exposed the dodgy driving licence card machine contract and, as a result, the Minister of Transport moved to cancel it in March 2025 (see here).
In April 2024, the Gauteng e-tolls were officially switched off after our long campaign lasting more than a decade (see more here).
We have published six annual reports assessing the work of Parliament (see more here).
In April 2023, we won a court order overturning the national State of Disaster on electricity (see more here).
We have been demanding access to information on toll concessionaire profits since 2019, and are now involved in court cases challenging this secrecy (see more here).
In May 2020, we had former SAA chair Dudu Myeni declared a delinquent director for life (see more here).
We campaign against state capture and have opened criminal cases against high-profile implicated people (see more here).
We regularly challenge unreasonably high electricity prices.
We want to see South Africa’s tax revenue and public funds used for the benefit of all, not a greedy few.
Donations of any amount are welcome.