Load shedding will be implemented on Thursday evening. Photo: Stock/Canva
Load shedding will be implemented on Thursday evening. Photo: Stock/Canva
Honestly Eskom, don’t you think it’s time to grow up? The power utility has announced that Stage 4 load shedding will be implemented from 11:00 on Friday – and this intense round of rolling blackouts with us for the rest of the weekend.
Our three days of misery will begin this morning. The lights are going out at 11:00, and Stage 4 will be in place through until midnight. However, the respite is short, as load shedding returns for a brutal 19-hour stint on Saturday AND Sunday. Further outages could follow next week.
The firm says it needs to conserve its emergency generation reserves, and therefore, South Africa must be plunged into sporadic darkness so Eskom can prevent a total grid collapse. Here’s the new load shedding schedule for the next few days:
As well as needing to replenish emergency reserves, Eskom are also blaming ‘unprotected labour action’ for this escalation. Workers across the utility have downed tools and carried out strike action this week, leaving the power provider in a vulnerable position.
Eskom bosses have urged those on strike to return to work, ‘for the higher purpose of serving South Africa’ – but a deadlock between the union and the utility stubbornly remains in place. You can read a full statement from Eskom below:
#POWERALERT1
— Eskom Hld SOC Ltd (@Eskom_SA) June 24, 2022
To conserve emergency generation reserves, loadshedding will be implemented to Stage 4 from
11:00 am until midnight tonight. pic.twitter.com/IHv6sLVuqt