Stage 2 load shedding starts and will last until 22:00

Cape Town - Eskom has implemented stage 2 load shedding from 08:00 on Saturday, which will likely continue until 22:00 in the evening, it said in a power alert.

"This is due to a shortage of generation capacity as several units are currently on unplanned outages due to technical faults," said Eskom.

"Eskom will also use the weekend to build up diesel stocks and dam water levels for OCGTs and pump storage schemes respectively to ensure that these reserves for generation capacity is available during the week," it tweeted on Saturday.

Eskom said the power system remained severely constrained and would remain so for the rest of this weekend. "We therefore urge all electricity customers to reduce their consumption in order to reduce the severity of load shedding.

"Eskom calls on all customers to reduce the load on the electricity grid by urgently switching off geysers, air conditioners, pool pumps and all non-essential appliances throughout the day, which will reduce electricity demand. Commercial customers, particularly shopping centres and office blocks, can also 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."