Stage 4 load shedding this week – here’s the latest schedule

 ·12 Feb 2023

Power utility Eskom says a stage 3 and stage 4 load shedding rotation will continue this week until further notice.

Stage 4 load shedding will continue to be implemented at 16h00 to 05h00 daily, while stage 3 load shedding will be implemented at 05h00 to 16h00 daily.

A further update will be published as soon as any significant changes occur, the group said.

The daily rotation will be as follows;

Daily, until further notice

  • Stage 4: 00h00 to 05h00
  • Stage 3: 05h00 to 16h00
  • Stage 4: 16h00 to 00h00

Over the past 24 hours, two generating units at Arnot and one at Kendal power stations suffered breakdowns and were taken offline for repairs. The return to service of a generating unit each
at Lethabo and Hendrina power stations were delayed.

A generating unit each at Grootvlei and Kriel power stations were returned to service during the period.

Breakdowns currently amount to 16,920MW of generating capacity, while 5,759MW of generating capacity is out of service for planned maintenance.

South Africa has declared load shedding and the wider energy crisis a state of disaster. While the decision to declare a disaster over the crisis was not unexpected, president Cyril Ramaphosa’s decision to appoint a new ‘minister of electricity’ was.

According to various reports, the ANC was blindsided by the president’s decision to draw the crisis nearer to his office with the appointment.

Political players close to Eskom and the crisis, such as energy minister Gwede Mantashe, have downplayed the significance of the role, calling it a “project management” role.

Mantashe had been under the impression that Eskom would move under his control – however, Ramaphosa made it clear during his State of the Nation Address that it would remain with the Department of Public Enterprises.

South Africa’s economy, meanwhile continues to suffer.

The country is increasingly vulnerable to a recession in the next 12 months, with an ongoing electricity crisis seen further curbing activity.

The probability of a recession stands at 68%, up from odds of 45% in January, according to Bloomberg’s latest monthly survey of economists.

The poll was conducted February 3-9, with six economists responding to a question about the chance of a recession.

Schedules 

For people living in the major metros, load shedding schedules are available here:

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.


Read: Mantashe still thinks he has a chance with Eskom

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