Eskom will implement stage 6 load-shedding from 4pm until 10pm on Tuesday.

The power utility announced that this was due to the unlawful industrial action currently underway at their plants. 

“This is due to the unlawful and unprotected labour action, which has caused widespread disruption to Eskom’s power plants. This has compelled Eskom to continue taking precautionary measures to conserve generation capacity and safeguard plant from damage,” it said.

The power utility said stage 4 will then continue to be implemented until midnight.

Load-shedding will then be reduced to Stage 2 until 5am on Wednesday.

“From 5am until 4pm on Wednesday load-shedding will be implemented at stage 4. Load-shedding 6 will then again be implemented at 4-10pm tomorrow [Wednesday] evening,” it said.

Eskom said there is a high risk that the stage of load-shedding may have to change at any time, depending on the state of the plant.

“Eskom continues to closely monitor the system, adjust and communicate any changes as may be necessary. We appeal to all South Africans to help limit the impact of the shortages by continuing to reduce the usage of electricity and to switch off all non-essential items,” it said. 

The power utility said three of the 10 generation units that had tripped during the night have been returned to service.

it however said it was still insufficient to stave off the implementation of Stage 6 load-shedding for this evening and tomorrow evening.

“We currently have 3 218MW on planned maintenance, while another 17 621MW of capacity is unavailable due to breakdowns. We would like to remind the public that load-shedding is implemented only as a last resort to protect the national grid. We, therefore, urge all South Africans to continue using electricity sparingly, especially during these uncertain times on the power system,” it said.

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