Loadshedding Suspended for 261 Days, Eskom Saves R16.46 Billion

• State-owned enterprise Eskom announced that the country has been free of loadshedding for over 250 days
• It also revealed that R16.46 billion worth of diesel was saved during the process and expects to save more
• However, the system is still burned by overloading issues caused by illegal connections, vandalism and meter tampering, among others

With nine years of experience, Tebogo Mokwena, a Briefly News current affairs journalist, provided insights into infrastructure challenges and state-owned enterprises in South Africa at Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News.

JOHANNESBURG — Electricity utility Eskom has announced that loadshedding has been suspended for 261 days. It also saved over R16 billion in diesel since loadshedding was halted in March 2024.

SA loadshedding-free

The State-Owned Entity celebrated this milestone on its @Eskom_SA X account on 13 December. In a statement, it said that the implementation of the Generation Recovery Plan, which began in 2023, contributed to the end of loadshedding. Eskom was also able to save R16.46 billion in diesel use compared to the R24.32 billion used in the previous year.

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Eskom said despite the suspension of loadshedding, the utility is still battling illegal connections. This resulted in the implementation of load reduction in June in areas where illegal connections, unauthorised network operations and theft of network equipment are rife.

View the tweet here:

What you need to know about the end of loadshedding

• Eskom celebrated 107 days of no loadshedding in July, two months after the 2024 general elections
• A Kriel Power Station Unit caught fire in November, but the utility assured the nation that it would not result in loadshedding
• Eskom also announced that its diesel savings surpassed R13 billion by November

SA disagreed

Although the country is free of loadshedding, netizens complained that some areas lacked electricity.

Ncuthu oluMazangwa said:

"One full month without electricity, and there's no ETA for a technician to come sort my meter out."

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Gomolemo Sharlene Jane said:

"Bodibe, Meetmekaar, Matshepe, Matlhonyane and Matile had not hadelectricityfor over 24 hours in the North West, Lichtenburg side."

Manzini said:

"Loadshedding suspended njani when we don't have electricity."

Vusumuzi said:

"Y'all still loadshedding in the hood, though. Stop lying."

Lekompo or Nothing said:

"You sacrificed loadshedding with load reduction in the rural areas."

Eskom promises loadshedding-free festive

In a related article, Briefly News reported that Eskom's CEO Dan Marokane pledged that SSouthAfricans would enjoy their festive without loadshedding.

During a meeting with the Portfolio Committee of Electricity on 5 December, that it was confident that it would keep the lights on. South Africans slammed it, accusing the SOE of replacing loadshedding with load reduction.

Source: Briefly News