Eskom will try not to ruin your weekend with load shedding

Eskom says it does not anticipate having to implement load shedding this weekend.

Spokesperson Sikonathi Mantshantsha on Friday told The Citizen this was because the power system had improved.

He said South Africans should also not expect rolling blackouts on Friday afternoon.

“The outlook for today [Friday] and indeed for the weekend has improved. That’s because demand is lower due to the weekend and that starts dropping during midday today,” Mantshantsha said.

We do not expect to have to implement load shedding today and through the weekend.

Earlier this week, Eskom implemented stage 1 load shedding after a shortage in generation capacity.

This was due to breakdowns and delays in returning generator units to service.

Eskom on Thursday warned the power system was still severely constrained with a high probability of load shedding.

“Eskom would like to inform the public that it continues to experience severe supply constraints as the shortage of generation capacity still persists, caused by breakdowns in generation units and delays in others returning to service.

“While no load shedding is anticipated at this point, Eskom could be forced to implement Stage 1 or, if necessary, Stage 2 load shedding at short notice should any further breakdowns occur. This is most likely to occur between 5pm and 10pm in the evening,” Eskom said in an earlier statement.

The utility called on the public to reduce their use of electricity.

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