Load shedding temporarily suspended for Sunday

Ailing and practically powerless parastatal Eskom announced a short reprieve from load shedding on Sunday morning.

Eskom said in a short WhatsApp message to media that there was “sufficient recovery in generating capacity and pumped storage dam levels.”

But before you pack away those torches and candles, the reprieve will only last until 5pm, when the new stage is expected to be communicated.

So for now, it appears the nation’s Sunday roasts, television viewing and charging of devices can occur freely, that is only for the next couple of hours – and if there isn’t another breakdown.

South Africa moved to Stage 4 load shedding on Friday after Eskom experienced more unplanned breakdowns, to no one’s surprise.

The dark lords at Megawatt Park also grimly informed the nation that it had already burnt nearly R11.2 billion worth of diesel for back up electricity generation.

Eskom board ‘really getting deep into issues’

On Saturday, Minister in Presidency Mondli Gungubele urged frustrated South African’s to give Eskom’s new princes of darkness, aka the new board, time as they ventured deeper into the shadowy abyss of never-ending problems plaguing the country’s energy provider.

“There are ongoing concerns in cabinet, even if there is no specific item, these are issues that are spoken to the chairperson of newly established board, and he told me that they are really getting deep into issues,” Gungubele said.

“They hope at some stage, when that time comes, to give us an idea what path is supposed to be followed.”

Gungubele, in a bid to inspire hope to a cynical nation said the new board members “had a track record of turning things around where they come from.”

In September, Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan announced that Mpho Makwana would take over as the new chairperson of Eskom’s 13-member board.

Makwana previously first served as a non-executive director of Eskom between 2002 and 2011.

Meanwhile, Gungubele indicated government was confident in the current board, saying it had the necessary skills to fix Eskom.

Compiled by Narissa Subramoney

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