Load shedding beyond stage 6 possible at short notice

September 13, 2023 Siyabonga Mtangana

The late-season cold weather gripping South Africa means Eskom, which has ramped up planned maintenance at its ageing power stations, may be forced to impose power cuts beyond stage 6.

Eskom has never officially gone beyond stage-6 load shedding, although it has appeared to do so unofficially on several occasions this year.

The distressed state-owned electricity utility, which has imposed varying levels of load shedding for the past 15 years, on Wednesday appealed to the public to cut their consumption during the evening peak to alleviate pressure on the system and “avoid higher stages of load shedding”.

“Due to the cold weather, we appeal to all members of the public to reduce the electricity demand between 5pm and 9pm by switching off non-essential appliances, mainly geysers, swimming pool pumps and electric heaters,” the company said in a post on social media.