[UPDATE] Eskom suspends load shedding from tonight until Sunday afternoon

Embattled power utility Eskom has suspended load shedding from 10pm on Saturday night until 4pm on Sunday afternoon.

Crisis Communication Manager Menzi Mngomezulu said this was due to the anticipated lower demand.

“Stage 3 load shedding will be implemented from 16:00 on Sunday until 05:00 on Monday. Eskom will issue an update for the week ahead on Sunday afternoon.”

The reduced power cuts will certainly be welcomed by many South Africans wanting to catch a glimpse and cheer on the Springboks as they take on Romania in the 2023 Rugby World Cup match on Sunday

End of load shedding

Last week, South Africans were forced to endure stage 5 and 6 power cuts as Eskom dealt with the breakdown of generating units and a delay in returning others to service.

Meanwhile, the Presidency said it was confident government was on track to end load shedding and achieve energy security.

Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said the unnecessary breakdowns were being attended to.

“These higher stages of are primarily, as we all know, caused by a large number of megawatts being taken off the grid as a result of unplanned breakages,” Magwenya said.

Magwenya’s comments were echoed by Deputy President Paul Mashatile last week saying he is “confident” that the rolling blackouts will be a thing of the past in 2024.

ALSO READ: ‘We want to put load shedding behind us in 2024’ − Mashatile

He said he was very worried about the frequency and intensity of the rolling blackouts,

“I have been very worried about load shedding. We are working closely with the Minister of Electricity, Kgosientsho Ramokgopa. We want to put it behind us next year. We are going to push… but not push these power stations to a point of total breakdown.”

On Sunday, Ramokgopa will host the weekly media briefing to update South Africans on the implementation of the Energy Action Plan (EAP).

ALSO READ: Eskom burns over R18 billion on diesel as stage 6 load shedding persists