It’s back! Eskom announces stage 1 load shedding

Eskom has announced that load shedding will return from today at 5pm, due to shortage of generation capacity.

In a statement just before at 4.30pm, the power utility said: “Regrettably, Eskom will implement Stage 1 loadshedding starting at 17:00 this afternoon, until 22:00 tonight.

“This loadshedding is required as a result of a shortage in generation capacity due to breakdowns and delays in returning generator units to service.

“Eskom teams are working to return more generators to service as soon as possible. Should the generators not return as expected, further load shedding might be required during the week.”

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Earlier on Wednesday, the power utility thanked South Africans for helping to avoid load shedding on Tuesday evening and appealed to the public to continue to use electricity sparingly.

However, the power utility warned that load shedding was still possible due the shortage of generation capacity.

And on Tuesday, Eskom said it could be forced to implement stage 1 or 2 load shedding between 5pm and 10pm

Compiled by Neo Thale. Additional reporting by Nica Richards.