28 Jan 2015
Full Eskom statement:
Eskom would like to thank all the customers who responded to our call and reduced their electricity consumption, which has enabled us to stop load shedding earlier than anticipated.
Stage 1 load shedding will stop at 14:00 today. Restoration of power to affected customers will start at the same time but it is important to note that this will take longer in some areas.
Eskom was able to stop load shedding earlier than expected today as a unit that was out on maintenance has returned and the demand for electricity is lower than had been forecast.
We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused to all affected customers. The system will continue to be under severe pressure for the rest of the week, and the risk of load shedding will remain medium to high.
In an effort to avoid load shedding, all electricity users are urged to switch off non-essential appliances, pool pumps and geysers throughout the day. Commercial customers, particularly shopping centres and office blocks, can make a big difference by switching off non-essential lights and not leaving office equipment such as photocopiers and computers in standby mode after hours.
Eskom will continue to provide regular updates on the status of the power system through all media platforms.
28 Jan 2015
Eskom has just announced that load shedding ends now - 14:00.
28 Jan 2015
28 Jan 2015
Gordon Angus: Seifsa is in discussion with Eskom regarding contingencies and strategies to make load shedding more predictable and more conducive to production planning.
28 Jan 2015
Seifsa's Gordon Angus: Should employers arrive at work to find that there is no power due to load shedding, the employees may be sent home with a minimum of four hours pay for the day, which equates to half a shift worth of payment.
28 Jan 2015
28 Jan 2015
Lionel October, director-general at dti, speaks to Fin24 about load shedding and Eskom's war room.
28 Jan 2015
Gordon Angus, Industrial Relations Executive at Seifsa, speaks to Fin24 about what options industries have during load shedding.
28 Jan 2015
Fin24 user Emily Taukobong is feeling the brunt: I work in a factory in Pretoria where the policy is no work, no pay. I spend R60 daily for transport to & from work. Yesterday & today we were sent back home because of load shedding. We will therefore not get paid for those 2 days - after spending all that money for nothing. Really now, Eskom you're killing us!
28 Jan 2015
Industry body Seifsa (Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa) on labour relations / pay in times of load shedding:
The following is an extract from section 7 of the Main Agreement Handbook, 2014/2015, from page 18.
Load shedding and power outages
Seifsa recommends that management adopt the following course of action in dealing with load shedding:
• where power is cut and management takes a decision to send employees home, then employees must be paid a minimum of four hours’ pay;
• should management require employees to remain at work until the power is restored, then employees must be paid in full;
• regardless of the fact that management has sent employees home, they will still be credited with a shift for the purpose of leave pay and leave enhancement pay calculations
28 Jan 2015
From a "concerned American pass port holder considering leaving this beautiful country": It's simple. No electricity in my game means no work. No work = no money to pay staff. Result - staff go home. Less turnover means less profits. This means salary cuts and jobs losses.
The ANC ruled South Africa has failed its people. This government continues to drive people out of this country. Unemployment will now skyrocket - with this follows crime as people are desperate and hungry. This is not about black or white. We beg for capable people to run our country.
28 Jan 2015
From Fin24 user Karabo Mothoa: I run a small pie bakery and we deliver freshly baked pies to schools, daily. We deliver just before school breaks, while they are still warm and fresh. Load shedding really affects our performance as a business. If it continues, it means we would have to change our strategy and that may be costly.
28 Jan 2015
From Fin24 user Precious Matsie: I run a tuck shop and I fry most of my stuff so it goes to waste when there is no power.
28 Jan 2015
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28 Jan 2015
From the pen (or is it keyboard?) of Alec Hogg: I'm writing from my hotel room in Durban where the first leg of the post-Davos presentations is over. I love The Durban Hilton, mostly because it's so quiet. Except this time the normal peace is broken by the thumping of an electricity generator. Earlier my wife told it me it sounds like our suburb (Houghton in Johannesburg) is about to lift off. Two of the neighbours had been running their generators for a couple hours.
Welcome to a new, noisy South Africa.
28 Jan 2015
Eskom has funds to pay for diesel to run its turbines until the end of March, averting a crisis that could have seen it lose 5% of its capacity, a government source has told Reuters.
28 Jan 2015
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28 Jan 2015
Eskom needs everyone's help!
Eskom has again called on consumers to switch off geysers, air conditioners, pool pumps and all non-essential appliances throughout the day to reduce electricity demand.
28 Jan 2015
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28 Jan 2015
Fin24 user Richard Baak wrote that his schedule in Boksburg was incorrect.
"According to the schedule from the Ekurhuleni website we were supposed to have load shedding from 15:00 to 18:00 (B3 Area) yesterday, however it actually started at 20:00 and ended 22:15. We cannot do any planning around this as we have no idea when the load shedding will actually occur."
Fin24 tried to contact the Boksburg customer care centre (incorrectly written has "Boksburg care centre centre" on the site). Once through to the electricity line, a recorded message says there is a technical fault with the line and that it is in the process of being fixed.
Any officials from Boksburg can contact Fin24 at editor@fin24.com so we can help them communicate with their community.
28 Jan 2015
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28 Jan 2015