Eskom To Ease Load-Shedding Over Weekend But Warns Of Severe Constraints During Winter

Eskom says in a statement that it will escalate load-shedding to Stage 5 rather than Stage 6 this afternoon from the current Stage 6 after a generating unit at Matla Power Station has returned to service and overall breakdowns have decreased. The Stage 4/5 pattern will replace the Stage 4/6 one later on, with a brief de-escalation to Stage 1 scheduled for Sunday morning.

• In a separate statement, Eskom warned that South Africa's power system is "severely constrained and there is a high risk of elevated stages of load-shedding in winter." The utility said that power outages could reach Stage 8, albeit it is "an ultimate worst scenario that Eskom is working tirelessly to avert at all cost."