load shedding eskom
South Africa could experience Stage 2 load shedding for the next year, according to Eskom’s load shedding outlook. Photo: Eskom

Home » Eskom Plunges South Africa into STAGE SIX Loadshedding

Eskom Plunges South Africa into STAGE SIX Loadshedding

Eskom has plunged South Africa into Stage 6 loadshedding from midday today. This morning the power utility had announced (at 06h18) that Stage 4 loadshedding was due to be implemented from 09h00 until further notice. But within hours, Stage 4 was escalated to Stage 6. Social media is being flooded by angry South Africans who […]

07-12-22 12:21
load shedding eskom
South Africa could experience Stage 2 load shedding for the next year, according to Eskom’s load shedding outlook. Photo: Eskom

Eskom has plunged South Africa into Stage 6 loadshedding from midday today. This morning the power utility had announced (at 06h18) that Stage 4 loadshedding was due to be implemented from 09h00 until further notice. But within hours, Stage 4 was escalated to Stage 6.

Social media is being flooded by angry South Africans who say they are ‘gatvol’ and enough is enough. “Fire the lot”, “bring back Zuma”, “just turn off all the lights for once and for all and put us out of our misery” are just some of the tweets today.

Eskom blamed Stage 6 on breakdowns. In a statement on social media, Eskom said:

“Stage 6 loadshedding will be implemented from 12:00 until further notice. This is due to a high number of breakdowns since midnight, as well as the requirement to strictly preserve the remaining emergency generation reserves. Eskom will publish a full statement in due course.”

Just over a month ago President Cyril Ramaphosa cancelled a trip from the UK to New York for a UN meeting, in order to fly home early and address South Africa’s critical energy crisis.

South Africa’s loadshedding (planned power cuts) is financially disastrous for the country, making it near impossible for small businesses to run successfully, as well as causing foreign investors to lose confidence in putting their money into SA concerns.

The DA’s Jacques Maree said:

“Stage 6 will kill our country. In fact ALL load-shedding will, but Stage 6 will do so quickly. If you’re still pinning this on anything other than the toxic trifecta of ANC incompetence, ANC corruption and ANC ideology, you’re either in La-la Land or a propagandist for the party.”

“It’s about time Eskom’s new board addresses the country about their plan to stop loadshedding. They have been on the job since September. Cyril said they must stop loadshedding, review management & review operations,” said one Twitter user.

“Guys just switch off the electricity, we beg you to flippin switch off the power and stop announcements tsa matlakala tsa every 2 min. Re lapile Ke nyoso ya lona. Switch off SA once!” said another.

“We went from stage 2 to 3, to stage 4, to stage 6 in a matter of hours ????” said one.

Many South Africans said they’d already been without power for four hours. One SA Twitter user said: “How embarrassing is this… this is what corruption gets u… Thank you @MYANC… we’ll be at stage 8 pretty quickly either by later tonight or early tomorrow morning.”

Several pointed out that the nation has become too complacent. “Our level of tolerance in this country is amazing. We tolerate a LOT, and it never stops,” said Danie Barnard.

Journalist Ferial Haffajee tweeted: “? it’s like the country’s on fucken auto-pilot.”

The City of Cape Town, which has been trying to cushion the blow for its residents by using other sources too, said that instead of moving to Stage 6 it would move to Stage 5.