Load shedding starts without warning

Johannesburg -  After initially saying it is not planning any load shedding on Monday, Eskom announced at about 16:40 that stage 1 load shedding was implemented as at 16:03.

It is likely to continue until 22:00 Monday evening due to the shortage of generating capacity.

"Any unexpected changes on the vulnerable and constrained power system could lead to a change in the load shedding stage at short notice," Eskom said in a statement.

It 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," said Eskom.

Eskom will use the published load shedding schedules which are available on the Eskom website (http://loadshedding.eskom.co.za) for Eskom customers.  Eskom customers can also contact its customer call centre 0860 037 566.

Municipal customers should contact their municipalities for information.

Eskom will provide regular updates on the status of the power system through all the media platforms.