Dark days of powerlessness lie ahead

DARK days are back again as Eskom resumed loadshedding yesterday across the country.

Eskom announced stage 2 loadshedding in a statement, saying it was due to a shortage of generating capacity.

“There is also a need to replenish and preserve emergency water, and diesel resources to limit loadshedding possibility or magnitude thereof in the following week,” the statement read.

The power utility pointed out that it had not implemented loadshedding since December last year. “Stage 2 calls for 2 000MW to be rotationally loadshed, nationally, at a given period. Loadshedding is conducted rotationally, as a measure of last resort, to protect the power system from a total collapse or blackout,” Eskom said.

It encouraged people to conserve electricity usage and switch off non-essential appliances.

On his Twitter account, Eskom spokesperson Khulu Phasiwe said it was highly likely there would be loadshedding today.

The announcement was slammed by the Green Party of South Africa. Party spokesperson Anisha Garib said this was insulting to South Africans as President Cyril Ramaphosa announced measures to resolve the crisis during his State of the Nation Address on Thursday.

“The current government is keeping us dependent on a failing energy system,” she said.

Garib felt hundreds of thousands of households could be powered with solar power, with the money currently being spent on Eskom.