Load shedding is damaging equipment

MY recent experience is that periods of load shedding begin with the electricity going off and coming back on repeatedly – for example, more than 10 times in few minutes. This is damaging to electrical equipment that is not designed for such treatment, such as my elderly, low-budget, pre-paid electricity meter that, according to repeated warnings from the municipality, is already on its last legs. And one can only wonder what sort of power surges are part of this on-off-on-off experience.

Beyond merely saving electricity, the manner in which load shedding is being implemented is actively damaging all manner of electrical equipment – in homes, offices and factories across the country, including life-support systems – and may eventually destroy it.

We are now reduced to appealing to Eskom to simply make a proper job of turning out the lights. MICHAEL ROLFE I Rondebosch