By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Stage 4 load shedding will be implemented from 16:00 on Sunday until 05:00 on Tuesday morning, power utility Eskom said on Sunday.
On Saturday, it was announced that load shedding would be downgraded after 05:00 on Sunday, but over the past 24 hours, a generating unit each at Camden, Duvha, Majuba and two units at Kriel Power Station suffered breakdowns and were taken offline for repairs.
Furthermore, the return to service of a generating unit each at Hendrina, Medupi and Tutuka power stations was delayed, and the repairs to the damaged towers from Cahora Bassa is taking longer than anticipated, Eskom said.
A generating unit each at Duvha and Kriel power stations were returned to service.
In addition, the return to service of a generating unit each at Hendrina, Medupi and Tutuka was delayed.
Eskom added that repairs to damaged towers at Cahora Bassa are taking longer than anticipated.
In positive news, a generating unit each at Duvha and Kriel power stations were returned to service.
Breakdowns totalled 17,340MW of generating capacity, while 5,654 MW of generating capacity was out for planned maintenance.
President Cyril Ramaphosa will announce the new minister of electricity tomorrow (6 March 2023) during his cabinet reshuffle.
During the State of the Nation Address, Ramaphosa said that he would introduce a minister of electricity to specifically deal with the nation’s energy crisis.
Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, the president’s advisor on infrastructure, is rumoured to be the favoured candidate for the position.
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.