Eskom drop kicks load shedding ahead of Springboks Day public holiday

With South Africa celebrating Springboks Day on Friday, Eskom has delivered some good news saying that the penalty of load shedding has been suspended until further notice.

Eskom spokesperson Daphne Mokwena said they will keep South Africans informed of any changes to the load shedding schedule.

“Due to further improvement in available generating capacity, load shedding will remain suspended until further notice. Eskom will communicate should any significant changes occur.”

Last week, the ailing parastatal juggled the power cuts between stage 2 and 4.

South Africans will be hoping that the suspension of load shedding will continue until the new year with less than 20 days left until a challenging 2023 makes an exit.

ALSO READ: Dan Marokane appointed new CEO of Eskom

Eskom debt

Meanwhile, municipal debt remains an area of concern and has increased to R70 billion – from R58.5 billion in March 2023 – Eskom revealed in its interim results for the period ending 30 September 2023

According to Eskom, the Top 20 defaulting municipalities account for 76.7% of total arrear municipal debt.

“Eskom continues to make efforts to address the arrear debt, however, these have not yielded the desired outcome as the debt continues to escalate.”

The power utility, however, expects the municipal debt relief programme to improve payment levels and the settlement of current accounts by municipalities.

New GCEO

Eskom will also be hoping its new Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) Dan Marokane will be able to turn things around at the utilty including mitigating the current load shedding plaguing the country.

Marokane’s appointment comes months after the resignation of former CEO André de Ruyter. 

Marokane said it is an honour to be chosen to lead Eskom at this critical juncture in its history.

“I look forward to working with the leadership team, Eskom board, the shareholders and other key stakeholders to accelerate implementation of the generation recovery plan, the creation of transmission capacity as well as other critical Eskom priorities and chart a path to a sustainable future for Eskom. If it is to be, it is up to us,” said Marokane.

Additional reporting by Vhahangwele Nemakonde

ALSO READ: Municipalities’ Eskom debt escalates to R70 billion