Loadshedding.com
Eskom, the primary electricity supplier in South Africa, has announced that it will implement Stage 4 load shedding from 16:00 today, Friday 10th March, until 16:00 on Monday 13th March. This will be followed by Stage 5 load shedding, which will be in place until 05:00 on Tuesday 14th March.
Eskom has explained that the pattern of Stage 4 load shedding from 05:00 to 16:00 and Stage 5 load shedding from 16:00 to 05:00 will be repeated. The power utility has also provided an update on the current status of its power stations. In the last 24 hours, a generating unit at Arnot Power Station has been returned to service, while a generating unit each at Kriel, Medupi and Tutuka power stations have been taken offline for repairs.
Eskom has also noted that the return to service of a generating unit each at Duvha, Medupi, Tutuka and two units at Hendrina power stations has been delayed. Currently, there are 17,008MW of generating capacity breakdowns, while 4,600MW of generating capacity is out of service for planned maintenance. The company has also provided an update on the repairs to the damaged towers from Cahora Bassa in Mozambique, stating that they are ongoing and expected to be completed by early next week.
While the energy crisis has been a major concern for South Africa’s politics, multiple initiatives have been implemented to address the issue. However, analysts and researchers suggest that there will be no short-term reprieve from rolling blackouts. Recent data from the Bureau of Economic Research (BER) revealed that relative to 2022, 2023 has been the worst load shedding on record.
The BER expressed concern over the fact that South Africa’s summer months had the worst levels of load shedding, despite being periods of low demand. Winter months, which start from around June, typically see the highest demand. This puts Eskom and the government on a tight deadline to address the crisis before the winter months kick in.
In summary, Eskom’s Stage 4 load shedding will be in effect until 16:00 on Monday 13th March, followed by Stage 5 load shedding until 05:00 on Tuesday 14th March. Eskom has provided an update on the status of its power stations, noting that there are currently 17,008MW of generating capacity breakdowns, while 4,600MW of generating capacity is out of service for planned maintenance. While there have been efforts to address the energy crisis, experts predict that there will be no immediate relief from load shedding, and Eskom and the government will need to act quickly before winter arrives.
Here is the schedule:
Sunday, 12 March
- Stage 4: 16h00 to 00h00
Monday, 13 March
- Stage 4: 00h00 to 16h00
- Stage 5: 16h00 to 00h00
Tuesday, 14 March
- Stage 5: 00h00 to 05h00
- Stage 4: 05h00 to 16h00
- Stage 5: 16h00 to 05h00
Wednesday, 15 March
- Stage 5: 00h00 to 05h00
- Stage 4: 05h00 to 16h00
- Stage 5: 16h00 to 05h00
Eskom has indicated that this pattern will remain in place until further notice.
For people living in the major metros, load shedding schedules are available here:
- City of Johannesburg
- City of Ekurhuleni
- City of Tshwane
- City of Cape Town (PDF)
- Nelson Mandela Bay
- eThekwini
- Manguang
- Buffalo City
Eskom has made other load shedding schedules available for access on: loadshedding.eskom.co.za.
Load Shedding Reporter 
Joel Bijlmer 
