More power cuts: Eskom ‘load reduction’ heading for five provinces on Thursday

South Africa is once again braced for ‘power cuts through the backdoor’, as a load reduction schedule returns for energy consumers on Thursday evening. There was outrage yesterday, when as many as seven provinces were hit by the ‘totally-not-load-shedding’ schedules. Although the stress on the grid has eased slightly, dozens of regions still face blackouts.

If it looks like load shedding, and sounds like load shedding…

Ted Blom, a leading expert on Eskom and its many failures, believes these latest cuts are ‘load shedding in all but name’. However, the firm have previously denied this is the case, reasoning that load reduction only targets specific areas, rather than the entire population. Either way, there will be some very frustrated people this evening.

Gauteng, eThekwini, and several other major locations in South Africa will lose power at some point between 17:00 – 22:00 on 25 March – we’ve got all the updated schedules for you right here:

Load reduction schedules for Thursday 25 March

Gauteng

• – Katlehong
• – Vosloorus
• – You can view all the sub-districts affected here:

KwaZulu-Natal

• – eThekwini, Jozini, and Newcastle are amongst the 12 major areas that will be rocked by load reduction on Thursday night.
• – However, unlike the other provinces, the cuts will only be in place from 18:00 – 20:00.
• – You can view all the sub-districts affected here:

Limpopo

• – Mopane
• – Capricorn
• – Sekhukhune

Eskom Load Reduction Notice

Date: 25 March 2021#EskomLimpopo #EskomNorthWest

Please see below the provincial statements for details and areas that will be affected today during the hours of 17:00 until 21:00 pic.twitter.com/DCWaeabXBH

— Eskom Hld SOC Ltd (@Eskom_SA) March 25, 2021

North West and Free State

• – Rustenburg Sector: Witrantjies, Maologane, Tweelagte, Phalane, Makoshong and Mmamakau are listed as the impacted sub-areas.
• – Lejweleputswa Sector: Thabong, Naledi, Tswelopele, Thelerine also in line for load reduction.

Eskom Load Reduction Notice

Date: 25 March 2021#EskomFreeState #EskomGauteng #EskomKZN

Please see below the provincial statements for details and areas that will be affected today during the hours of 17:00 until 21:00. pic.twitter.com/tD8lZziS6n

— Eskom Hld SOC Ltd (@Eskom_SA) March 25, 2021