Eskom unveils weekend load shedding stages, dimming the start of December for South Africans. Today’s de-escalation prompts a revised three-stage plan: stage 3 (05h00-16h00), stage 4 (16h00-20h00), and stage 5 (20h00-05h00).
From Thursday (30 November) to Saturday (2 December), the schedule persists, aiming to halt load shedding on Sunday. Sunday’s stages shift: evening at stage 2, escalating to stage 4 overnight.
Here’s the detailed weekend agenda:
Thursday, 30 November
- Stage 3 until 16h00
- Stage 4: 16h00 to 00h00
Friday, 1 December
- Stage 4: 00h00 to 05h00
- Stage 3: 05h00 to 16h00
- Stage 4: 16h00 to 20h00
- Stage 5: 20h00 to 00h00
Saturday, 2 December
- Stage 5: 00h00 to 05h00
- Stage 3: 05h00 to 16h00
- Stage 4: 16h00 to 20h00
- Stage 5: 20h00 to 00h00
Sunday, 3 December
- Stage 5: 00h00 to 05h00
- Suspension: 05h00 to 16h00
- Stage 2: 16h00 to 20h00
- Stage 4: 20h00 to 00h00
Presently, unplanned outages slash generating capacity to 13,513MW, with 6,596MW in planned maintenance. Eskom expects a return of 3,700MW by Sunday, having already restored 800MW in the last day.
The recent relief from load shedding counteracts a tumultuous week marked by stage 6 power cuts due to drained reserves. Analysis reveals reliance on pumped storage and diesel shortages, coupled with soaring demand and persistent outages.
Eskom eyes a peak demand forecast of 28,128MW for evening hours, surpassing recent 26,000MW peaks.
For urban residents, load shedding schedules are available for major metros like Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni, Tshwane, Cape Town (PDF), Nelson Mandela Bay, eThekwini, Manguang, and Buffalo City. Access other schedules on loadshedding.eskom.co.za.
Smartphone users can opt for the EskomSePush app, offering push notifications on load shedding and area-specific outage timings.
