Stages 5 and 6 load shedding starts
|Published
KWALE: Eskom’s power stations breaking down
Just a day after the ruling ANC party indicated that a national state of disaster was on the cards to tackle South Africa’s energy crisis, Eskom announced stages 5 and 6 load shedding.
Stage 6 was to continue until 5am on Wednesday before moving to Stage 5.
Eskom said: “Stage 5 load shedding will then be implemented continuously from 5am on Wednesday until further notice.”
Eskom said six generating units had broken down.
“Duvha and Hendrina have not yet returned to service. In addition, a generating unit each at Matla and Arnot had been returned to service. There is a delay in returning a generating unit each at Duvha, Kendal, Grootvlei, and Kriel power stations,” the power utility added.
It comes as Eskom was granted permission to hike fees by a moerse 18.65% from April 1.
Meanwhile, ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula on Tuesday insisted that the energy crisis would be speedily and efficiently resolved by imposing a national state of disaster.
The call for a declaration of a state of disaster was brought up by ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa while closing the party’s lekgotla in Johannesburg on Monday evening.
However, it immediately drew reservations from some quarters, with the EFF saying during the height of the pandemic such a declaration was abused and taxpayers’ money was allegedly stolen on a massive scale.
But Mbalula said the country needs this measure: “A state of disaster will help us to move with speed; the target of getting this done and dusted by the end of the year can be achieved even faster.
“If you’ve got all hands on deck, you address issues of procurement quite faster and then we mobilise resources where they are needed for intervention, particularly when it comes to maintenance.”
He hinted that this would likely be implemented in the coming days or weeks.