WATCH | ‘SA must not accept stage six load shedding’ – Eskom

Cape Town – The gazetted state of disaster combined with a debt-relief programme for Eskom is expected to help the utility end load shedding, reports said. 

The state of disaster was declared by on 9 February after President Cyril Ramaphosa gave the nod during his 2023 State of the Nation Address. And Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana announced in his Budget speech on 22 February that the government was set to take over Eskom’s debt of R254 billion over the next three years

Eskom acting CEO  Calib Cassim told a ministerial briefing on Friday that Eskom could now release capex funds three years in advance, not only for generation but for transmission and distribution, which would ensure that acting group executive for generation Thomas Conradie had the resources to deliver on his mandate.

Cassim said there should be no excuses not to drastically reduce power outages in future .

“Plus the flexibility that we now have, within the governance rules, there should be no excuses from an Eskom perspective and a generation perspective why we should not see load shedding starting to be reduced going forward,” he said.

Eskom’s interim Group CEO, Calib Cassim, says we must not accept Stage 6 power cuts.He was speaking during a ministerial briefing earlier in Pretoria on the state of disaster on Eskom. #DStv403 #eNCA pic.twitter.com/ZFHAAd6P5j

— eNCA (@eNCA) March 3, 2023

Cassim called for the nation not to accept stage six load shedding.

“We must not accept stage six. We need these stages to come down,” he said.

Load shedding at the moment alternates between stage three and four with the pattern expected to continue until further notice.

The utility  is reportedly preparing load shedding schedules beyond stage 8 as part of its contingency plan.

According to Energy analyst Ruse Moleshe, if stage eight hits, the country would be looking at more than 12 hours (rotated) of load shedding and the situation would be severe, reported eNCA.