Load shedding: City of Cape Town customers no better off than Eskom on Sunday

Eskom has updated its load shedding schedules for Sunday, 5 March as well as early on Monday, as has the City of Cape Town.

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The power utility in a tweet stated that Stage 2 load shedding will kick in at 05:00 on Sunday and run until 16:00 in the afternoon.

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Stage 3 load shedding will be implemented from that point until 05:00 on Monday.

Eskom promised that a further update for the week ahead will be provided in due course.

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The City of Cape Town were quick to confirm their schedule following Eskom’s announcement – and it’s no different.

Sunday, 5 March
Stage 2: 05:00 – 16:00
Stage 3: 16:00 – 05:00

The City of Cape Town added: “We are doing all we can to protect you where possible, but non-stop load-shedding at high stages impacts our ability to protect.”

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Loadshedding Stage 4 will be implemented from 16:00 today until 05:00 on Sunday morning. Thereafter, Stage 2 loadshedding will be implemented from 05:00 until 16:00 followed by Stage 3 loadshedding until 05:00 on Monday morning. Eskom will publish a further outlook on Sunday.

— Eskom Hld SOC Ltd (@Eskom_SA) March 4, 2023

Sunday, 5 March

Stage 2: 05h00 to 16h00

Stage 3: 16h00 to 00h00

Monday, 6 March

Stage 3: 00h00 to 05h00

Stage TBD: 05h00 onwards

South Africans have suffered through 126 consecutive days – and counting – of load shedding since late October 2022.

FOR PEOPLE LIVING IN THE MAJOR METROS, LOAD SHEDDING SCHEDULES ARE AVAILABLE BELOW:

• City of Johannesburg
• City of Ekurhuleni 
• City of Tshwane 
• City of Cape Town (PDF)
• Nelson Mandela Bay
• eThekwini
• Manguang
• Buffalo City

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 Here are six tips to mitigate against risks caused by load shedding:

• Make use of surge protection: Electric surges are one of the biggest causes of damage to equipment during a power outage. Installing a surge protection device can help minimise some damage in unforeseen situations. Have a surge protection device fitted to your electrical distribution board or at the power outlet to the electronic device.
• Ensure that your alarm system is working and the backup battery is fully functional to provide power to the system in the event of load shedding.
• Spare torch or headlamp: Keep a torch in your car if you arrive home at night during a power outage. Most smartphones have built-in torch or torch apps, which come in handy during unexpected power outages.
• Emergency contact information: Save emergency contact information on your phone, but also keep a paper copy safe and accessible. This should include contacts for emergency services such as the fire department, police, and/or medical services. Also include the contact information of friends and/or family along with insurance information. 
• Charge your cell phone, laptop, and tablet: Ensure your cellphone, laptop, and tablet devices are fully charged ahead of scheduled blackouts. Be sure to charge them again as soon as possible after the power returns. It’s also a good idea to have an emergency phone charger (like a power bank) close by. This comes in handy during extended power outages. 
• Gas for cooking and lighting: Get a small LP gas bottle and lamp. It gives good quality lighting for a large area and can also be used for cooking and boiling water. It’s a good idea to keep hot water in a thermal flask so that you can make hot drinks. Also, consider preparing meals beforehand if you know when there’s going to be a scheduled blackout.