Eskom suspends load shedding between 5am & 4pm this weekend

South Africans can breathe a sigh of relief as power utility Eskom announced the suspension of load shedding from 5 a.m. until 4 p.m. this weekend.

Eskom spokesperson, Daphne Mokwena said this was due to the sustained improved performance of generation availability as well as the anticipated lower demand over the weekend.

“Load shedding will be suspended between 5am and 4pm on Saturday and Sunday. Stage 2 load shedding will be implemented from 4pm until 5am on both Saturday and Sunday. Today [Friday], as previously communicated, Stage 3 load shedding will continue to be implemented from 4pm until 5am on Saturday,” Mokwena said.

She said the power utility will be closely monitoring the power system and communicate any change to load shedding should it be required.

Breakdowns are currently at 14,266MW of generating capacity while the capacity out of service for planned maintenance is 5,388MW.

“Over the past 24 hours, a generating unit each at Arnot, Duvha, Ingula, and Vanderkloof power stations was taken offline for repairs. In the same period, a generating unit at Hendrina Power Station was returned to service. Eskom teams are working tirelessly to ensure that additional generating units are returned to service as soon as possible,” Mokwena said.

She said the load forecast for the evening peak demand is 27,606MW.

“We appeal to the members of the public to continue reducing demand by switching off non-essential appliances. We would like to thank those who do heed the call to use electricity sparingly and efficiently, including switching off geysers and pool pumps from 5pm to 9pm, as this lowers demand and helps in alleviating the pressure on the power system, and contributes to lower stages of load shedding,” Mokwena said.

-IOL

In other news – Five of the most shocking Mzansi celebrity breakups this year

Here is the list of surprising South African celebrity breakups; relationships that came to an unexpected end! As the year progresses, we have already witnessed the demise of several local and international celebrity relationships, catching many by surprise. Here are some celebrity breakups that no one saw coming:

In May of this year, sources revealed that Emtee had filed for divorce and moved out of the flat he shared with his estranged wife, Nicole Chinsamy. The reasons behind their split remain undisclosed, leaving fans shocked by the sudden end to their relationship. Read More