• Stage 2 loadshedding has been declared but Stage 3 powercuts are expected to be the norm for this weekend.
• Eskom says that the lower Stages come as generation capacity at the utility improves.
• The utility says that it still intends to suspend loadshedding between 05:00 and 16:00 on Sunday.

The last two days have been confusing for South Africans as Eskom has run various stages of loadshedding following the improvement of generation capacity.

After battling through a week plagued by Stage 5 and Stage 6 loadshedding, Eskom on Thursday downgraded powercuts to Stage 3 before upgrading to Stage 4 and then Stage 5 later in the evening. Ultimately, Stage 5 was abandoned and Stage 4 remained in place until 05:00 on Friday morning.

On Friday morning, Stage 3 was in effect from 05:00 but at 10:00 Eskom downgraded the frequency of loadshedding down to Stage 2.

“Due to the sustained improvement of the generation capacity with unplanned outages at 13 542MW, loadshedding will be reduced to Stage 2 from 10:00 today until 16:00,” the utility wrote in a X, formerly Twitter, post.

The bad news is that Stage 2 loadshedding will only be in effect until 16:00 this afternoon and thereafter, Stage 3 loadshedding will remain in place until Sunday at 05:00. Eskom intends to suspend loadshedding on Sunday from 05:00 to 16:00 but this could change so we advise you make use of the EskomSePush app for Android and Apple iOS for updates as Eskom issues them.

It’s been a tumultuous week for Eskom and South Africa is looking at the utility to keep the lights on as we move into the festive season. Here’s hoping lower demand brought on by businesses closing for half of the month gives Eskom breathing room and that breakdowns at power plants are kept to a minimum.

This week government took delivery of generators from China. An initial shipment of 450 generators will be distributed to public service facilities around the country. While fuel-powered generators do help alleviate some of the effects of loadshedding, they are costly and noisy.

Many South Africans expressed disappointment at the news that the solutions being delivered to South Africa were – compared to others – tiny fuel-powered generators. While they may be small, if they help keep government offices functional during loadshedding, we’re less inclined to complain.

[Image – Possessed Photography on Unsplash]