Eskom to ease power cuts over weekend
Eskom is set to ease load shedding to stage 3 from 5am to 4pm on Saturday, with a further reduction in the power cuts planned for Sunday.
Stage 2 will kick in on Sunday.
The embattled power utility will maintain stage 4 load shedding throughout Friday evening until Saturday morning.
The reduction in the power cuts comes on the same day of the first in what is expected to be a series of protest marches against Eskom. Civil rights organisations #NotInMyName and the Mamelodi Nellmapius Eesterust (MNE) Stakeholders Forum marched to the offices of energy regulator Nersa and the Union Buildings in Pretoria on Friday.
The organisations were protesting against the prolonged load-shedding hours and the decision by Nersa to grant Eskom a tariff increase of 18.65% for the coming financial year.
They also want President Cyril Ramaphosa to declare a National State of Disaster to deal with load shedding.
Ramaphosa has also met with various committees and Eskom after deciding to cancel his planned trip to the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) gathering in Davos.
The president convened a special President’s Coordinating Council (PCC) on Friday to discuss the energy crisis.
