Stage 3 load shedding to kick in on Friday
Candles, battery-powered lights and generators will be in action again when load shedding returns on Friday evening.
Stage 3 will kick in at 5pm after a ten-month streak of relatively uninterrupted electricity supply.
Eskom says some generating units broke down over the past week and has been relying on open-cycle gas turbines.
"Primarily the objective is to build the reserves that we rely on quite extensively since the beginning of this week. The reliance on the reserves was on occasion but the unfortunate and combination of multiple unit switches at the two stations - we are well progressed in getting these two units on track and back into operation. They will be coming through over the weekend and the new week," says CEO Dan Marokane.
READ: Eskom warns of possible load shedding
Marokane says the load shedding will last throughout the weekend.
Electricity and Energy Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa admitted that it is a setback on their recovery plan progress - after having recently marked 300 days of uninterrupted power supply.
"We are exceptionally disappointed, but I was saying to the team is that the first thing is to protect the system, the integrity of the system is important and that the trend line is in the right direction."
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