Eskom warns of load-shedding all day on Thursday

Embattled power utility Eskom on Wednesday warned that load-shedding was expected to continue all day on Thursday.

“To protect the power system from a total collapse or blackout, and having taken into account all the recovery efforts currently being implemented, our prognosis for [Thursday] is that stage 2 rotational load-shedding will be implemented from 9am to 11pm. This requires that a total of 2,000MW be load-shed throughout the country,” Eskom's acting group executive Jabu Mabuza said in a statement.

The rotational power cuts were needed because the electricity system had become “severely constrained”, the statement said.

“We understand the inconvenience that comes with load-shedding and want to assure our customers and South Africans at large that our objective is not to implement load-shedding; if necessary, to do so at minimal levels with as much predictability as possible,” Mabuza said.

Eskom said “unplanned breakdowns” were responsible for the latest bout of load-shedding.

“We wish to assure South Africans that we continue to double our efforts to restore secure energy supply,” the statement read.