Eskom eases load shedding for the week ahead – here is the schedule
Power utility Eskom says that load shedding will be eased for the week ahead thanks to a slight improvement in the available generation capacity.
Stage 4 load shedding will be implemented from 16h00 this afternoon as planned and run until 05h00 on Monday.
Thereafter, stage 3 load shedding will be implemented from 05h00 to 16h00.
The pattern of stage 4 load shedding overnight and stage 3 during the day will continue until further notice.
Sunday, 23 April
- Stage 3: until 16h00
- Stage 4: 16h00 to 00h00
Monday, 24 April
- Stage 4: 00h00 to 05h00
- Stage 3: 05h00 to 16h00
- Stage 4: 16h00 to 00h00
Tuesday, 25 April
- Stage 4: 00h00 to 05h00
- Stage 3: 05h00 to 16h00
- Stage 4: 16h00 to 00h00
If the load shedding schedules continue as planned, this will bring an end to one of the longest streaks of stage 6 load shedding experienced this year.
However, the grid remains under severe strain, and the situation could change at very short notice as has been the case for the entirety of 2023 so far.
As Eskom continues to grapple with its unpredictable systems, the government is under pressure to resolve the load shedding crisis with few options remaining.
All eyes are on electricity minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa to deliver on his mandate to end load shedding, after the ANC and various subcommittees have backed his ideas to extend the life of Eskom’s coal power stations.
However, the minister remains without the necessary authority to execute these plans, leaving them in limbo.
Meanwhile, time has effectively run out for the country’s grid to find some stability ahead of the coming winter months, with multiple warnings that load shedding will only get worse.
Ramokgopa has also doused hopes for any resolution to the crisis in 2023, saying there is no end in sight.
Economists at Nedbank have also expressed this sentiment, saying this week that the slow progress at Eskom and the apparent political infighting between ministers in charge of the company means that load shedding is likely to stick around for the next three to five years.
Schedules
For people living in the major metros, load shedding schedules are available here:
- City of Johannesburg
- City of Ekurhuleni
- City of Tshwane
- City of Cape Town (PDF)
- Nelson Mandela Bay
- eThekwini
- Manguang
- Buffalo City
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.
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