Eskom forecasts 50 days of winter power cuts, allocates 8.8 billion rand for diesel

• Eskom’s Chief Executive, Dan Marokane, says there will be at least 50 days of power cuts in winter with stage 2 loadshedding
• The power utility has estimated an expenditure of R8.8 billion on diesel for open-cycle gas turbines to assist with blackouts
• Marokane highlighted the improvements in power plant reliability since March, which he attributed to the ongoing interventions initiated a year ago

Trisha Pillay is a Briefly News current affairs journalist in Johannesburg. With degrees in Journalism and International Politics, she delved into the intricacies of political landscapes at The Citizen newspaper, African News Network, and Newzroom Afrika. Pillay has also completed a training course from Google News Initiative.

Eskom is focusing on preventing higher-stage loadshedding in the winter months. Images: @Eskom_SA/Twitter and Getty Images/Dwayne Senior Source: UGC

JOHANNESBURG—South Africa can expect at least shedding between April and August as the country heads into winter.

Stage 2 loadshedding

Dan Marokane, who became Eskom’s CEO in March, spoke at his first news conference on Friday. Marokane mentioned that Eskom’s plan includes 50 days of power cuts from April to August. Also, the struggling power utility intends to spend about 8.8 billion rands on diesel for its open-cycle gas turbines.

However, the CEO also presented a more optimistic case, suggesting that Eskom aimed to limit outages to stage 2 levels, requiring shedding up to 2,000 megawatts of capacity.

Eskom sheds light

According to Eskom, The aim is to limit unexpected power cuts to a certain level, which means sticking to Stage 2 loadshedding at most. While the state-owned enterprise is happy about reaching 30 days without any power cuts, it is aware there are still challenges to overcome to keep the lights on.

The frequent power outages have harmed economic growth and caused frustration among South Africans, particularly as the upcoming general election in May approaches.

Netizens not surprised

People throughout South Africa are not surprised by Eskom’s announcement. Most people found it suspicious that the lights had been on since Easter.

Here are some of the reactions:

@ou Nduri said:

“Come May, we will also work hard to take me out of power they think they got.”

@Kerri-lee Nel Broncho joked:

“Preparing us for what’s coming on the 30th of May!”

@Wiseman Vilakazi commented:

“Sounds more like working extremely hard to ensure we encounter loadshedding again.”

@SarahJay shared:

“We haven’t had a colder day so far without any problems. Now that elections are nearby, we are now facing stage 2.”

@Breezy Bam expressed

“Can’t fool me. We are familiar with your game.”

@Solomon Siko joked:

” At least wait for the ANC to win elections.”

@Claudia Lynn Sharbel-Fahry said:

“We shouldn’t be having loadshedding AT ALL!!!”

Eskom CEO Dan Marokane warns of stage 2 loadshedding in Winter.

In a related story, Briefly News reported that Eskom’s CEO Dan Marokane said the utility is working hard to prevent loadshedding from reaching stage 2.

He announced that the possibility of Stage 2 during winter could not be ruled out and said it could reach Stage 5 under severe circumstances.

South Africans shook their head and were disappointed, but not surprised, that the no-loadshedding streak would end.