Eskom has officially implemented Stage 6 loadshedding. “Due to unlawful industrial action,” Stage 6 loadshedding will be implemented at 4pm this afternoon until 10pm this evening. Stage 4 will then continue to be implemented until midnight, the power utility said.
After midnight, loadshedding will be reduced to Stage 2 until 5am on Wednesday morning. From 5am until 4pm, Stage 4 will then be implemented. It’ll be back up to Stage 6 from 4pm to 10pm on Wednesday evening.
The City of Cape Town, however, will remain on Stage 4 between 4pm and 10pm.
The news follows Stage 6 warnings issued by Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter this morning. Ruyter said that the grid was under pressure due to strikes by staff at power plants.
Also read: Stage 6 loadshedding looms, citizens outraged
During Stage 6, South Africans can expect anything between three and four blackouts, having to endure darkness for up to six hours in a day. Outages may be split by two or three hours, Eskom COO Jan Oberholzer said.
Here’s the full statement:
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