JOHANNESBURG - Continued rolling blackouts by state-owned electricity utility Eskom continued throughout South Africa today and into this evening, leaving South Africans red faced and fed up, looking past the memes and jokes being made about Eskom as frustration set in.
The utility is curbing power for a sixth straight day as it struggles with breakdowns at plants and heavy rains that have soaked coal used as fuel. The blackouts have a debilitating effect on the economy by curtailing mining and factory output and causing crippling traffic delays.
For a brief period on Monday evening, Eskom announced it would be implementing stage 6 load shedding but then moved back to stage 4 after a couple of hours.
Rolling blackouts by Eskom are hurting small businesses the most, as many cannot afford fuel-powered generators for alternative sources of energy, one of South Africa's oldest trade unions UASA has said.
In a statement late on Monday, UASA spokesman Stanford Mazhindu said public enterprise minister Pravin Gordhan’s "valiant" efforts to bring Eskom under control about a year ago had "failed miserably" as shown by the company being forced to implement unprecedented "stage 6" load shedding to avoid tripping the national grid as its generating units broke down.
Take a look at what South Africans had to say about Eskom below:
%%%twitter https://twitter.com/hashtag/eskomloadshedding?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#eskomloadshedding pic.twitter.com/iMXF4I00Rr
— ZamaNtungwa (@khumalo_zaza)
%%%twitter https://twitter.com/hashtag/eskomloadshedding?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#eskomloadshedding #Loadshedding pic.twitter.com/kVNj3cWurz
— Fidelis Zengeza Zvomuya (@Zvomuya)
%%%twitter https://twitter.com/Eskom_SA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Eskom_SA #eskomloadshedding #Loadshedding
— Xhosa Women with Some POWER (@anesiphonkulan2)
%%%twitter https://twitter.com/MYANC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MYANCbenefit from that? The sun does not issue out tenders nor does it require cadre deployment to provide energy #eskomloadshedding #EskomBlackouts https://t.co/OOgsUPj33z
— Tshidiso-Kun (@UknwWhu)
%%%twitter https://twitter.com/hashtag/eskomloadshedding?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#eskomloadshedding https://t.co/H7f2dYw23O
— Thobs (@Bra_Thobs)
%%%twitter https://twitter.com/MYANC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MYANChave got laws preventing IPPs from generating and feeding power into the grid is fucking diabolical. #eskomloadshedding @GwedeMantashe1
— Maik 'o Jai 🇿🇦 (@mikegbaines)
%%%twitter https://twitter.com/hashtag/eskomloadshedding?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#eskomloadshedding #stage6loadshedding https://t.co/c7aWxwoeF4
— Muvo_hlongwana (@HlongwanaMuvo)
%%%twitter https://twitter.com/hashtag/eskomloadshedding?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#eskomloadshedding #EskomBlackouts pic.twitter.com/p7S3iDf5Gt
— Thimothy Mametja (@DoctorMametja)
%%%twitter https://twitter.com/hashtag/EskomBlackouts?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EskomBlackoutsI am NOT asking for a friend.Can someone advise what would be the most cost effective alternate power source,both initial cost and ongoing? Time to get serious about moving away from #eskomloadshedding
— DashcamGP-ZA (@Dashcampros)
%%%twitter https://twitter.com/hashtag/EskomBlackouts?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EskomBlackouts #eskomloadshedding
— Katekani Tevin Mashele (@tevin_37315)
%%%twitter https://twitter.com/CyrilRamaphosa?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CyrilRamaphosashould have stayed in Cairo. What is he going to do that he hasnt done /said ka the #eskomloadshedding? It says a lot about his leadership team and thier lack of owning situations. Whats the use of eskom employees if Ramaphosa is still needed? 🤷🏾♂️
— Itumeleng Mothibi 🇿🇦🇱🇸 (@ee2meleng)
%%%twitter https://twitter.com/hashtag/eskomloadshedding?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#eskomloadshedding
— SharontheAquarian (@sharon_DiamondG)
%%%twitter https://twitter.com/hashtag/eskomloadshedding?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#eskomloadshedding🙄
— lorraine Lolo (@dee_neolauraine)
%%%twitter https://twitter.com/Eskom_SA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Eskom_SAplease advise when electricity will be back at Diepkloof. It was scheduled to be restored at 16:30 and its 19:05 now? #loadshedding #eskomloadshedding
— Kay_Mo🐾 (@YourGirl_Vee)
%%%twitter https://twitter.com/CityPowerJhb?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CityPowerJhb @Eskom_SA #eskomloadshedding NO COMPLACENCY OR PATIENCE to be expected from me!😡🤬 #loadsheddingstage6 #load_shedding from 12 to now?!!!!
This country is cursed!
— ND (@Naailah_D)
%%%twitter https://twitter.com/hashtag/EskomBlackouts?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EskomBlackouts #eskomloadshedding
— Patrón (@casino_fortune)