Stage 1 load-shedding in progress

Mbasa Gqokoma
21 May 2015

Power utility Eskom started implementing stage one load shedding across the country at eight o clock this morning, which will then move to stage two at two o clock this afternoon until ten in the evening.

Eskom Spokesperson Khulu Phasiwe said load shedding is implemented when necessary to protect the power system, and to ensure that maintenance is carried out.

Phasiwe explains that some of the generating units that we were expecting to come back online today have not been synchronised yet, and the other reason is that this morning there were a number of some trips on some of our machines, as a result we did not have enough generating capacity now and later on in the afternoon it’s going to be more difficult.

“At this stage we feel that, to protect the system form a total collapse we have to implement load-shedding so we avoid a blackout”, Phasiwe added.