Minister Apologizes as Load Shedding Returns
Electricity and Energy Minister Dr. Kgosientsho Ramokgopa has apologized to South Africans as Eskom reintroduces load shedding.
Stage 3 will be implemented from on Friday (January 31) and will continue throughout the weekend.
During a media briefing at Megawatt Park on Friday, Ramokgopa explained that a combination of factors had led to this decision after Eskom managed to avoid power cuts for the past 10 months under the Generation Recovery Plan and the Energy Action Plan.
“We got hit by a perfect storm,” he said. “We had units out for planned maintenance, and at two of our best-performing power stations, Matimba and Lethabo, multiple units failed at the beginning of the week. Additionally, some units that were scheduled to return to service were delayed.”
Eskom had been relying on its open-cycle gas turbines (OCGTs), which burn diesel to generate emergency power, but those reserves are now depleted.
“For the sake of protecting the grid and ensuring system integrity, we must maintain reserve margins,” Ramokgopa said. “We cannot chase records—such as a full year without load shedding—at the expense of the grid’s stability. This decision is based on sound engineering principles and the recommendations of our system operators.”
Eskom Group Chief Executive Dan Marokane assured the public that teams at Matimba and Lethabo are working urgently to restore the affected units.
“We are making significant progress in bringing these units back online. They will be operational over the weekend and into the new week,” he said.
However, he warned that without immediate intervention, South Africa could face worse outages in the coming days.
“By next week, as demand increases, we will have no reserves left unless we create headroom now. This temporary load shedding will allow us to replenish our reserves and prevent more severe disruptions later.”
Despite the setback, Marokane said Eskom remains committed to ending load shedding.
“Overall availability remains high, but we must create space to handle unexpected breakdowns. This move aligns with our summer plan, and we are focused on returning to the new normal of no load shedding.”
South Africans are urged to stay informed about the latest load shedding schedules via Eskom’s official channels.