The power utility’s spokesperson Khulu Phasiwe said, “This is due to a shortage of generation capacity as several units are currently out of service due to planned and unplanned outages.” Phasiwe added that any additional changes on the already vulnerable and constrained power system could lead to a change in the stage of load shedding at short notice. He said Eskom would like to assure customers that load shedding was a necessary measure to protect the power system.
Phaiswe also called on all customers to reduce the load on the electricity grid by switching off geysers, air conditioners, pool pumps and all non-essential appliances throughout the day which will reduce the severity of load shedding. “Commercial customers, particularly shopping centres and office blocks can also make a big difference by switching off non-essential lights, and not leaving office equipment such as photocopiers and computers in standby mode after hours,” he said.
Eskom will use the published load shedding schedules which are available on the Eskom website. Customers can also contact Eskom’s customer call centre 0860 037 566. Municipal customers should contact their municipalities for information. The utility will provide regular updates on the status of the power system through all media platforms.
