Eskom load shedding western cape

Eskom to implement Stage 2 load shedding on Tuesday. Image via: Wikimedia Commons

Load reduction continues in several provinces on Sunday, eskom confirm

Eskom has dropped more bad news for South Africans on Sunday, confirming that load reduction measures will continue in several provinces.

Eskom load shedding western cape

Eskom to implement Stage 2 load shedding on Tuesday. Image via: Wikimedia Commons

Embattled power-supplier Eskom has continued to implement Load Reduction on Sunday 25 April, with the state-owned enterprise saying that overloaded networks are to blame for the latest round of blackouts to hit an already fatigued electrical grid. 

Eskom announced similar load reduction measures on Saturday in seven of South Africa’s nine provinces, plunging vast numbers of South African households into darkness over the weekend. This, they say, is the best course of action to avoid the requisite interventions that they have implemented from spiralling into the far more familiar and despised load shedding periods that South African know all too well. 

Which areas are affected by load reduction on Sunday 25 April? 

Eskom released a series of statements on Twitter outlining which areas will be affected by the measures on Sunday in each province. 

They said in the statement that maintenance teams are currently battling to keep up with the increased equipment failure caused by overloading that is “costing millions to repair”. Load reduction will hit at the following times on Sunday:

  • KZN: 18:00 until 20:00.
  • Free State: 17:00 until 20:00.
  • Gauteng: 17:00 until 22:00
  • Limpopo: 17:00 until 21:00
  • North West: 18:00 until 20:00

The affected areas in KZN, Gauteng and the Free State are outlined in the tweet below: 

Limpopo and North West:

Load reduction implemented to prevent load shedding  

Eskom said that to avoid overloading the Eskom network and damage infrastructure in high-density areas prone to network overloading, load reduction will be implemented during evening peak hours on Sunday, from 18:00 to 20:00.

“During the load reduction implementation, customers are urged to switch off all their electrical appliances to avoid possible damage due to power surges when supply returns. Failure to do so may lead to transformers trips or failures and damages to household appliances when supply is restored,” they warned. 

Distressingly, Eskom warned that overloading of the network can damage electricity infrastructure by causing “explosions of transformers and mini-substations”. 

“Overloading also poses danger to people and property in the affected communities,” they said. 

Customers from affected areas are also encouraged not to log a fault during this period, and to treat all installations as live during the interruption of power.