A simple alternative to candles during load shedding
With the threat of load shedding hitting without notice, we thought it wise to stay ahead with these DIY light and power sources.
With the looming possibility of load shedding hitting areas around South Africa without notice, we thought it vital to share some interesting approaches to creating power sources in your home.
In early June 2025, Business Tech reported that, "Eskom said its base case for the winter period was no load shedding. However, it warned that, in the worst-case scenario, if demand exceeds the expected outage limit of 13,000MW, the country could experience 21 days of stage 2 load shedding."
The imminent threat has us looking for creative and low-cost ways of finding alternative power sources.
Read more: How to capture your electricity reading with the municipality
Finding innovative ways to combat the dark comes naturally fo most South Africans.
But let's face it, when you're out of candles, the LED charger lights are low on battery life, or you forgot to charge your power bank, you can find yourself in a tricky situation.
We found a video that shows how to make a candle using simple household items. According to the user who shared this nifty trick, this DIY candle lasts 12 hours. We haven't tested it out, but it sounds promising.
Remember to follow the fire safety protocols when lighting candles in your home.
Check out the video from Instagram on how to make the candle.
Read more: Cooking at the gym? The things we do to beat the system
Check out this video courtesy of Instagram showing how to charge your phone using two potatoes, a coin, and a charging cable.
While this may seem ideal when you are stuck in a rut and without power, it is untrue. The online videos showing people using potatoes to generate power for their phones are all a hoax.
The amount of power you could generate from a potato won't be nearly close to what you need to charge a phone.
HOW TO LISTEN TO EAST COAST RADIO
- Listen to East Coast Radio on the FM (frequency modulation) spectrum between 94 and 95 FM on your radio.
- Listen live to ECR by clicking here or download the ECR App (iOS/Android).
- Listen to East Coast Radio on the DStv audio bouquet, channel 836.
- Switch to the audio bouquet on your Openview decoder and browse to channel 606
- Listen to us on Amazon Alexa.
Follow us on social media: