Pretoria: The Minister of Electricity and Energy, Dr. Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, has assured South Africans that the current load shedding crisis is expected to be resolved by the end of the week. This announcement comes amid heightened concerns following the implementation of Stage 6 load shedding early on Sunday morning.
According to South African Government News Agency, the Minister, along with Eskom executives, provided an update on the status of South Africa’s electricity generation performance during a media briefing. The briefing was held in response to Eskom’s recent announcement of Stage 6 load shedding, which began at 1:30 am on Sunday.
Dr. Ramokgopa expressed confidence that the load shedding situation would normalize by the week’s end, marking an end to what he described as an “extremely abnormal” period. He emphasized the need for the country to return to normal conditions without the disruption of load shedding.
The Minister also explained that despite 300 days of uninterrupted power supply, recent setbacks have occurred due to the loss of multiple generation units at the Majuba and Camden power stations. He reassured the public that efforts are underway to restore these units and prevent future occurrences.
Eskom CEO Dan Marokane reported that out of the ten units lost overnight, six have been restored. He detailed the challenges faced, including an overload on a transformer at Majuba power station and a network underfrequency issue at Medupi power station.
Marokane highlighted the efforts to bring the remaining units back online and the measures being taken to prevent similar incidents in the future. He assured the public that Eskom teams are focused on addressing the issues and restoring stability to the power supply.
In an apology to the nation, Dr. Ramokgopa acknowledged the frustration and disappointment caused by the recent setbacks. He reiterated the government’s commitment to eradicating load shedding and explained the strategic measures being implemented, guided by the Energy Action Plan outlined by the President in July 2022.
The Minister emphasized that the current challenges are of a technical nature and dismissed any notions of sabotage. He urged the public to focus on the technical aspects of the issue rather than attributing it to other factors.