‘Worst not behind us’, Mr President, as Eskom ramps up load shedding to stage 4 until further notice

Despite President Cyril Ramaphosa telling the country the “worst of load shedding is behind us” during his state of the nation address (Sona), Eskom has ramped up the power cuts to stage 4 early on Friday until further notice.

Eskom spokesperson Daphne Mokwena said the parastatal will keep South Africans informed should there be any change to the load shedding schedule.

“Due to two additional generating units being taken out of service for repairs, stage 4 load shedding will be implemented from 02:00 today until further notice. Our teams are working tirelessly to return the generation units back online.”

Prior to stage 4 power cuts, Eskom was regulating load shedding between stage 1 and stage 2 as it battles to keep the lights on.

Worst behind us

During the Sona, Ramaphosa promised the worst of the energy crisis was behind us.

He said that this was as a result of the efforts around the restructuring of the electricity sector.

“We set out a clear plan to end load shedding, which we have been implementing with a single-minded focus through the National Energy Crisis Committee.

“We have delivered on our commitments to bring substantial new power through private investment on to the grid, which is already helping to reduce load shedding,” he said.

While expressing confidence in the progress made, the president acknowledged ongoing concerns regarding power outages and the broader energy crisis affecting the country.

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Energy crisis

Ramaphosa also outlined the government’s plans to tackle South Africa’s persistent energy challenges.

He highlighted efforts to end the deliberate power cuts through the National Energy Crisis Committee and the implementation of measures to attract private investment in the energy sector.

“We set out a clear plan to end load shedding, which we have been implementing with a single-minded focus through the National Energy Crisis Committee.

Ramaphosa pointed to the country’s achievements in renewable energy deployment, including the connection of more than 2 500 MW of solar and wind power to the grid.

Additional reporting: by Devina Haripersad

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