In response to Eskom’s latest announcement, the City of Cape Town has adjusted its load-shedding schedule.
“Loadshedding will be maintained at Stage 2 until further notice,” said Eskom.
DID YOU KNOW | Tshwane load shedding schedule for Monday
Eskom pleaded with the public to switch off non-essential appliances – in particular geysers and pool pumps – to reduce the demand, especially between the hours of 17:00 and 21:00.
WHAT IS ESKOM?
Eskom is a South African electricity public utility. It was established in 1923 as the Electricity Supply Commission.
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The utility is the largest producer of electricity in Africa and was among the top utilities in the world in terms of generation capacity and sales.
WHICH POWER STATIONS DOES ESKOM OPERATE?
The power utility operates a number of notable power stations, including Matimba Power Stations and Medupi Power Station in Lephalale, Kusile Power Station in Witbank, Kendal Power Station in Mpumalanga, and Koeberg Nuclear Power Station in the Western Cape, the only nuclear power plant in Africa.
Meanwhile, the City of Cape Town adjusted its schedule following the Eskom announcement.
At the time of publishing, City of Cape customers are in stage 1 until 16:00.
CITY OF CAPE TOWN SCHEDULE
MONDAY, 29 JANUARY
Stage 1: 06:00 – 16:00
No load-shedding: 16:00 – 22:00
Stage 2: 22:00 – 06:00
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FOR PEOPLE LIVING IN THE MAJOR METROS, LOAD SHEDDING SCHEDULES ARE AVAILABLE BELOW:
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Six tips to mitigate against risks caused by load-shedding:
- Ensure that your alarm system is working and the backup battery is fully functional to provide power to the system in the event of load shedding.
- Spare torch or headlamp: Keep a torch in your car if you arrive home at night during a power outage. Most smartphones have built-in torch or torch apps, which come in handy during unexpected power outages.
- Charge your cell phone, laptop, and tablet: Ensure your cellphone, laptop, and tablet devices are fully charged ahead of scheduled blackouts. Be sure to charge them again as soon as possible after the power returns. It’s also a good idea to have an emergency phone charger (like a power bank) close by. This comes in handy during extended power outages.
- Gas for cooking and lighting: Get a small LP gas bottle and lamp. It gives good quality lighting for a large area and can also be used for cooking and boiling water. It’s a good idea to keep hot water in a thermal flask so that you can make hot drinks. Also, consider preparing meals beforehand if you know when there’s going to be a scheduled blackout.
