Eskom announces stage-one load-shedding when it plans to cut up to 1,000 megawatts from the grid.
The utility is mired in debt and isn’t selling enough power to cover all its costs, leaving it scrabbling for money to maintain and replace its ageing plants.
President Cyril Ramaphosa replaced the company’s board earlier this year to help root out corruption and graft that contributed to the unsustainable financial state at the company that supplies almost all of SA’s electricity.
While that management has taken measures to increase transparency, a turnaround plan for the business has been delayed.
The president on December 14 appointed an eight-person team to advise the government on resolving Eskom’s operational, structural and financial challenges.