Month: May 2023

South Africa is facing a very tough winter as the embattled power utility Eskom announced the implementation of Stage 5 load shedding until further notice. This follows the failure of five generating units, three from Medupi Power Station and two from Duvha Power Station. This weekend’s schedule has been changed, causing more power outages for […]

Energy analyst Professor Hartmut Winkler from the University of Johannesburg has warned South Africans to brace themselves for another five years of load-shedding. This is in contrast to Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe’s assurances that the energy crisis could be solved in six to twelve months. According to Winkler, South Africa is still […]

In a landmark judgment, the Pretoria High Court has ruled that load-shedding threatens constitutional rights and ordered that power cuts be stopped at public health facilities, schools, and police stations. The court found that the applicants had established a prima facie right and that the risk of irreparable harm to life and well-being was too […]

Unfortunately, it looks like you’ll have to be prepared for more of it this coming weekend, as Eskom will continue with load shedding at high stages. What We Know So Far According to a recent statement from Eskom, load shedding will range between stage 3 and stage 4 over the weekend, book-ended by stage 5 […]

Pick n Pay chairman, Gareth Ackerman, has denounced South Africa’s government’s apparent reluctance to fix the ongoing energy crisis. The cost of food prices skyrocketed in April, with food inflation at its peak since 2007. Rising irrigation and additional expenditure on diesel are among the drivers, as retailers risk spoilage if they do not have […]

The National Rationalisation Specifications (NRS) association, responsible for deciding codes of practice for municipalities’ response to load shedding, is close to completing an update that will cover load shedding beyond Stage 8. These codes regulate how municipalities must respond to instructions from Eskom’s National Control Centre or System Operator, when it advises how much load […]

Suburbs with the best solar generation potential in South Africa have been revealed by a Standard Bank and Riskscape platform, LookSee. As winter approaches and higher stages of load-shedding loom, it is important for homeowners to explore renewable energy solutions and this platform provides useful information and services including the Solar Score system. This generates […]

Eskom, the South African power utility company, has released an updated schedule for load shedding this week. The plan will see the implementation of Stage 6 load shedding, which will continue daily from 4 pm to 5 am until Friday while various stages will be implemented during the day. The breakdowns remain persistently high, with […]

The load shedding crisis in South Africa has taken another turn, as Jan Oberholzer, the former Eskom Chief Operations Officer (COO), has decided to stay on and oversee new projects at the embattled power company. According to reports from EE Business Intelligence, Oberholzer will not resume his former role as COO but will be tasked […]

In a press conference held yesterday, the Minister of Minerals and Energy, Gwede Mantashe, denied any conflict of interest with Minister of Electricity, Kgosientsho Ramokgopa. The press conference comes in the wake of rumors circulating about an alleged rift between the two over their respective departments’ responsibilities with regards to the current energy crisis in […]