Before 1994 Eskom was responsible for the electrification of the country. Eskom held a state-supported monopoly and would electrify an area upon instruction from the government or connect a consumer if the consumer would pay. There was systematic neglect of full service delivery to the Coloured, Black and Asian communities. In 1994, after the first free election was held, it was estimated that approximately 6 million households (Department of Energy, 2009b) were without electricity.