Load shedding returns, stage 1 ‘until further notice’
Eskom has implemented stage 1 load shedding from 5am on Monday until further notice.
The struggling power utility managed to spare the country rolling blackouts on Christmas Day, but Family Day saw a return of the dreaded power cuts.
“(Stage 1) is possible due to the lower demand for electricity during the day, reducing the reliance on emergency generation reserves. We appeal to the electricity consumers to continue to using electricity sparingly,” Eskom spokesperson Sikonathi Mantshantsha said.
On Friday the state-owned company warned the first three months of next year will be difficult.
"We are going to have a challenging period over the next three months," Eskom chief operating officer Jan Oberholzer told a media briefing.
"It's going to be a difficult period."
South Africa has endured electricity shortages for the past 15 years, but power cuts reached new extremes this year, which Eskom blames on sabotage, crime and ageing power stations.
The country generates most of its power from coal-fired plants, but also gets some from Koeberg near Cape Town.
But one unit at the 40-year-old nuclear plant will be offline next year for refurbishments, removing nearly a gigawatt of precious capacity from the grid.
