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Load shedding latest: ‘Saturday night special’… but what about Boks’ game?
On a lighter note... Eskom has announced the suspension of load shedding overnight on Saturday, 30 September.
Load shedding reprieve: Feeling elated like Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa at the ANC’s 2019 election manifesto review at the beginning of September? Photo: Twitter screengrab @MmusiMaimane
Eskom will no longer implement stage 2 load shedding on Saturday evening and early Sunday morning.
The embattled power utility announced on Saturday that as a result of lower-than-anticipated demand and sustained improved generation performance, load shedding will continue to be suspended until 4pm on Sunday.
Load shedding reprieve
Thereafter, stage 2 load shedding will resume from 4pm on Sunday, 1 October until 5am on Monday, 2 October.
Eskom said the continued suspension was a result of lower-than-anticipated demand and sustained improved generation performance.
The utility said it would provide another update should any significant changes occur.
With the Springboks vs Tonga Rugby World Cup clash scheduled for 9pm on Sunday, the nation will be waiting with bated breath for that update…
‘I eat, pray, live power’
It would be a low blow if some Bok fans will be subjected to load shedding during Sunday night’s game.
Especially after Electricity Minister Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa’s latest claim of “I eat, pray, live power”.
The Citizen reported the minister confessed that he has been enduring sleepless nights with his phone constantly ringing and doesn’t “have the luxury of attending family birthday parties, soccer games or functions because he lives and thinks electricity”.
Shall we just pretend to “unsee” the minister’s electrifying dance moves at the ANC’s 2019 election manifesto review hours before announcing stage 6 load shedding “indefinitely” at the beginning of September…
ALSO READ: No signs of stage fright: Electricity minister’s ‘dance before stage 6 doom’ [WATCH]
State of the System: stage 4 load shedding
In its recent State of the System update, Eskom said it expects to be able to keep the highest level of load shedding at stage 4 until the end of March 2024.
The improvement is due to the planned return to service of three generating units at Kusile during October and November, and the first synchronisation of a fourth unit at the same plant in December.
According to MyBroadband, Eskom however anticipates that it will have to implement power cuts on at least 116 days between September 2023 and March 2024, if it is able to keep unplanned breakdowns at around 14 500MW or less.
Load shedding schedules for SA metros
The schedules of major metros are available here:
- City of Johannesburg
- City of Ekurhuleni
- City of Tshwane
- City of Cape Town (PDF)
- Nelson Mandela Bay
- eThekwini
- Manguang
- Buffalo City
For access to other load shedding schedules, Eskom has made them available on loadshedding.eskom.co.za.
