By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Power utility Eskom says it had to push load shedding to stage 4 in the early hours of Thursday morning (22 February) following the breakdown of five generating units.
The embattled Eskom adds that this more severe stage will be implemented until further notice.
In a short statement, Eskom says the escalation is due to the loss of five generating units at the Kendal power station and another generating unit at the Duvha power station in Mpumalanga.
“Stage 4 loadshedding will be implemented at 04:00 today until further notice. Eskom will closely monitor the power system and communicate should any significant changes occur,” stated Eskom.
The escalation comes after the utility on Sunday announced the suspension of daytime loadshedding and evening loadshedding at Stage 2.
For access to other load shedding schedules, Eskom has made them available on loadshedding.eskom.co.za.
Smartphone users can also download the app EskomSePush to receive push notifications when load shedding is implemented, as well as the times the area you are in will be off.