Johannesburg - Eskom started implementing stage two rotational load shedding from 4 pm on Saturday and it is likely to continue until 10 pm because of continued pressure on the national grid, the state-owned power utility said.
This was due to a further shortage of generation as a result of units that had not returned to service as expected and a loss of an additional unit. Eskom sincerely apologised for the inconvenience and uncertainty caused by this, Eskom said in a statement.
Stage two called for 2000MW to be rotationally shed nationally at a given period. Load shedding was conducted rotationally as a measure of last resort to protect the power system from a total collapse or blackout.
"We continue to appeal to residents and businesses to use electricity sparingly during this period. Please switch off geysers as well as all non-essential lighting and electricity appliances to assist in reducing demand," Eskom said.
For Eskom customers, these schedules are available on the Eskom website (http://loadshedding.eskom.co.za).Eskom customers can also contact the customer contact centre at 0860-037-566.