The Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality (EMM) provided the following information to clarify the process:
Why does the municipality not always keep to the schedules, as people rely on these to make provisions for load shedding?
Answer:
Load shedding schedules are predetermined, drawn up and published on the Ekurhuleni website (www.ekurhuleni.gov.za) in advance, by the City of Ekurhuleni (stage one and two) and Eskom (stage three), to enable customers to be in a position to see when they will be affected, as and when load shedding is declared and implemented.
There are three stages:
Stage one and two:
Ekurhuleni implements these stages on a rotational three-hour cycle by following the predetermined and published schedules.
Ekurhuleni does not shed industrial areas and hospitals during stage one and two.
In instances where the hospital is embedded in the residential electrical distribution network, few customers on the same circuit as the hospital may not be affected.
Stage three:
The municipality is not in control at this stage and power is switched off at high voltage levels by Eskom.
Eskom reduces EMM load in-line with the predetermined Eskom published schedules.
The entire City of Ekurhuleni is divided into four blocks, rotated on two-and-a-half hour cycles.
Customers are encouraged to have both EMM load shedding schedules, covering stages one and two, and the Eskom stage three schedule, to ensure they follow the correct schedule as and when they move to stage three.
