Stage 5 load-shedding is in force until 8 pm on Wednesday when stage 6 will be implemented. The daytime outages were at stage 4 on Tuesday.

The heightened stages of enforced power outages are due to insufficient generation capacity and the need to further replenish emergency reserves, Eskom said.

Load-shedding at stage 5 will apply between 5 am and 8 pm, with stage 6 in force from 8 pm to 5 am. This pattern will be repeated daily until Saturday morning. Eskom’s announcement comes hours after the energy utility said Kusile’s unit 2 was synchronized into the grid.

“This marks another significant milestone in the Eskom generation operational recovery plan which aims at increasing the energy availability factor to 70% by March 2025. “The unit will add 800 MW to the grid.

“The additional three units provide 2,400MW, which translates to two-and-a-half stages of load-shedding. With the three units back in service, Kusile in total will be generating 3,200MW.”

In other news – Prince William honours Zimbabwean ranger

A Zimbabwean wildlife ranger – Jealous Mpofu has received a prestigious award honour from Britain’s Prince William for his outstanding service to the protection of painted dogs which are under threat in Zimbabwe and most other countries in Africa. Mpofu, 54, a chief tracker at Painted Dog Conservation (PDC) at Hwange National Park was among several African conservation champions that were honoured by Prince William at the annual Tusk Conservation Awards in London on Monday (November 27).

The Prince focused his speech on environmental issues, emphasizing the need for collective efforts to combat the alarming loss of species and habitats in Africa. Mpofu won the 2023 Tusk Wildlife Ranger Award for his dedication and commitment in the protection of painted dogs in the country. Read More