Load shedding update: Down to stage 2 from Saturday but SA wants to watch Bafana

Eskom will downgrade load shedding to stage 2 from 5am on Saturday.

This was revealed on Friday afternoon, just two days after the utility said the country would sit with stage 3 “indefinitely”.

At the time, the utility said this was in order to replenish emergency reserves amid inadequate generation capacity.

ALSO READ: Load shedding update: Stage 3 here to stay ‘indefinitely’…

Now, anticipated lower weekend electricity demand and the need to replenish emergency reserves in preparation for the week ahead have Eskom enacting the change “until further notice”.

“Eskom will closely monitor the power system and communicate should it be required,” the utility said.

Power to Bafana Bafana

One social media user called for load shedding to be suspended completely on Saturday because Bafana Bafana will play in their Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) quarterfinal against Cape Verde at 10pm.

Wonderboy Seed’s tweet on X was the most liked and commented-on reply to Eskom’s stage change announcement on the social media platform.

Михаил tweeted, “We know your aim is to deprive people watching bafana bafana. We see you playing politics on us.”

Other replies, understandably and unsurprisingly, centred on frustration with load shedding itself, and users expressed exasperation at the situation despite the reduction in outages.

“Tsek you’re not doing us a favor, we don’t want your loadshedding and please keep it to yourself,” Llu Tladi tweeted.

“I really don’t see any improvements with all these repairs, maintenance and units that came back online after years. We will have loadshedding for the next 20 years….. They are saving all the diesel so they can burn just before elections to make people forget,” PureVenom tweeted.

This while Nicholas Petrie tweeted, “Completely and utterly corrupt. The entire entity that is Eskom. Morally bankrupt with no concern for their people.”

ALSO READ: Eskom set to extend load limiting roll out across Gauteng