Eskom Says It's Uncertain When Loadshedding Will End, Could Experience 101 Days of Power Cuts This Winter

• Eskom implemented Stage 4 loadshedding on Tuesday 19 April and there is uncertainty about when it will end
• Two power stations, Majuba Unit 5 and Tutuka Unit 4, have tripped due to the continuous rains since Friday
• Eskom’s Chief Generation Officer Phillip Dukashe said Stage 6 loadshedding is not foreseeable this week

JOHANNESBURG - South Africa could be in for a cold and gloomy winter as loadshedding could be experienced for 101 days during the icy season. Eskom implemented Stage 4 loadshedding on Tuesday, 19 April and there is uncertainty surrounding when loadshedding will come to an end.

The power utility initially announced that Stage 2 loadshedding would be implemented until Wednesday morning, 20 April. Two power stations, Majuba Unit 5 and Tutuka Unit 4, have tripped.

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Eskom is uncertain when power will be restored to the country, BusinessTech reported. Eskom’s Chief Generation Officer Phillip Dukashe said Stage 6 loadshedding is not foreseeable during this week and Stage 4 could possibly end on Friday. He added that the continuous rains since Friday affected some of Eskom’s units.

Dukashe added that the state enterprise needs to employ additional people who are suitably skilled, News24 reported. Meanwhile, Chief Executive Officer of Eskom Andrè de Ruyter said they are working as hard as they can.

Social media reacts to loadshedding

@jack_malebogo commented:

"Stage 6 is when they enter your house & switch off the electricity using machete."

@DIVINEMATICS posted:

"Could it be incompetence at Eskom, or a real problem that needs more than engineering skills?"

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@KatlegoKaG said:

"Du Ruyter is incompetent, shame."

@david_tema wrote:

"When the CEO wakes up every morning, what does he say? What is he doing at work? His job is to prevent load shedding from happening, has he done that so far? Who is monitoring his performance? What has he delivered since he occupied that office?"

DA calls out Eskom’s failure as loadshedding Stage 4 is implemented in parts of the country, South Africans react

Briefly News also reported the Democratic Alliance (DA) said that South Africa is in a state of disaster over Eskom’s continuous failures and the situation needs to be addressed urgently. The power utility introduced Stage 4 loadshedding due to power stations at Majuba Unit 5 and Tutuka Unit 4 tripping after Stage 2 power cuts were implemented on Sunday.

DA Shadow Minister of Public Enterprises Ghaleb Cachalia said the political party demands that Cabinet urgently addresses the issues experienced by Eskom, as it's "on life support". He said that Eskom has proven without a doubt that it cannot solve the country’s loadshedding disaster, which has been ongoing for the past 14 years, TimesLIVE reported.

Source: Briefly News