Power utility company Eskom has announced that it will implement Stage 4 load shedding in South Africa from 4:00 PM on Thursday (January 5th) until 5:00 AM on Friday. This pattern will repeat until Sunday, with Stage 3 load shedding being implemented from 5:00 AM to 4:00 PM on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The decision to increase the load shedding stages was made due to delays in getting power back online at several power stations, including Arnot, Camden, Kendal, Kriel, Matla, and Majuba. Eskom is currently experiencing capacity constraints due to 6,014 MW of planned maintenance and 17,278 MW of capacity being unavailable due to breakdowns and delays in returning generators to service. The public has been asked to reduce their electricity usage and to be patient during this challenging period. South Africa is expected to experience prolonged load shedding in the foreseeable future due to the offline status of several power stations, including Koeberg Unit 1 and Kusile and Medupi. Load shedding schedules for major cities can be found on the Eskom website and through the EskomSePush app.
