JOHANNESBURG - According to Eskom spokesperson, Khulu Phasiwe, Eskom will be implementing stage 1 loadshedding on Friday from 11:30am until 9pm.
The City of Johannesburg said late on Thursday state-owned electricity company Eskom had failed to give adequate notice before implementing scheduled power interruptions, or loadshedding, to relieve pressure on the grid in the face of a wage strike.
"Despite the city receiving communication that the parastatal was able to continue meeting demand for power generation, this evening, a number of Johannesburg communities, and those in other municipalities, were left without light due to a widespread power failure," said the city, which is run by the main opposition Democratic Alliance.
"The city is of the view that the manner in which this matter has been communicated to municipalities leaves much to be desired."
Also read: City of Johannesburg slams Eskom over power cuts
According to a statement from Eskom, the power utility said that it is working with all the relevant stakeholders to keep its plant operating optimally, however, there is a high risk of load shedding over the weekend.
"Eskom calls on all consumers to assist by reducing their electricity consumption by switching off geysers, electric heating, pool pumps, and all non-essential appliances throughout the day. Customers are cautioned to treat all electrical connections as live during this period. We would like to thank our workers who have continued working under very difficult circumstances and all South Africans who have heeded the call to action to use electricity sparingly," Eskom said in a statement.
You can see if you will be affected by Eskom's loadshedding by visiting loadshedding.eskom.co.za or at local municipalities if you are a municipal customer. Eskom customers can also contact their customer call centre on 0860 037 566.
#PowerUpdate: Eskom will implement stage 1 loadshedding from 11:30 until 21:00 due to multiple trips of its power generation units.
— Khulu Phasiwe (@KhuluPhasiwe) June 15, 2018
#PowerUpdate: Due to severe power constraints, Eskom will implement stage 1 of loadshedding from now (17:50) until 20:00. Acts of intimidation and sabotage have resulted in Eskom being unable to ensure uninterrupted power supply. @SABCNewsOnline @afroworldview @JacaNews @IOL
— Khulu Phasiwe (@KhuluPhasiwe) June 14, 2018
#PowerUpdate: Acts of intimidation and sabotage continue today at some of Eskom’s power stations, a move that has begun to threaten the security of power supply. Eskom will continue to provide regular updates about the state of the power system through various media platforms. pic.twitter.com/CPBL4AnPfA
— Khulu Phasiwe (@KhuluPhasiwe) June 15, 2018
Eskom implemented loadshedding on Thursday evening, plunging several Johannesburg suburbs into darkness as generation and distribution across its network came under pressure from alleged acts of sabotage on the utility's infrastructure.