Cape Town – Eskom has downgraded load shedding to Stage 4 until further notice after successfully restoring units at three power stations. This follows a sudden escalation to Stage 6 on Sunday due to multiple unit failures.
The power utilityconfirmed in a statement that eight out of ten tripped generation units have been restored since Saturday, including five at Majuba, two at Camden, and one at Medupi. Emergency reserves are also being replenished.
“This follows the successful recovery of all five units at Majuba, two units at Camden, and one unit at Medupi since Saturday, totaling eight out of ten generation units that had tripped this weekend,” said Eskom.
Monday, 24 February 2025:
Loadshedding will be reduced to Stage 4 from Monday at 00:30 until further notice.
This follows the successful recovery of all five units at Majuba, two units at Camden, and one unit at Medupi since Saturday, totaling eight out of ten…
— Eskom Hld SOC Ltd (@Eskom_SA) February 23, 2025
It added: “Additionally, emergency reserves replenishment is progressing well. The return of these units comes after identifying the root causes of multiple unit trips, which were unconnected and purely technical in nature, related to electrical and control system issues in auxiliary parts of these power stations.”
Speaking during a media briefing on Sunday, Minister of Electricity Kgosientsho Ramokgopa attributed the power cuts to Eskom’s intensified maintenance plan, with 7,500MW offline due to planned servicing. He acknowledged the risks but emphasised that delaying maintenance is not an option.
Ramokgopa dismissed speculation of sabotage or mismanagement, stating that the failures were purely technical. He reassured the public that efforts are underway to stabilise the grid, with expectations of improvement by the end of the week.
Eskom will provide further updates as the situation evolves.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
