[imagesource: EWN]

Load shedding schedules are subject to change at very short notice, so let’s not pretend we know what lies ahead.

What we can say is that, as things stand, South Africa will be on stage three load shedding until 10PM this evening.

The City of Cape Town, however, is only on stage two (we’re usually one stage below the rest of the country, but not always), so if you’re in the Mother City, adjust accordingly.

So, what’s happening over at Eskom as we once again stock up on candles and browse through generators online?

In a stunning example of ‘man puts Band-Aid over gaping wound’, Eskom has now suspended the managers of two of its biggest generating plants.

Below via Bloomberg:

Eskom suspended the managers of the Kendal and Tutuka plants and asked the acting managers of the Kriel and Duvha plants to return to their original positions, Eskom said in a reply to queries Thursday.

“This action was taken because of sustained poor performance by these plants, which require investigation pending disciplinary action,” Eskom said.

Together the coal-fired plants account for about 14 400 megawatts of generating capacity, or about a third of Eskom’s total potential output.

I suppose it’s a start, but the million rand question is were they suspended with full pay?

Sorry, your performance has been so poor that we’re sending you packing, but you’ll still earn every cent you would otherwise have made had you carried on working.

That’ll teach them.

In other news, Deputy President David Mabuza has waded into the mix, and assured South Africans that “they will turn the corner and fix Eskom”.

The same David Mabuza that the New York Times says “siphoned off money from schools and other public services in Mpumalanga to buy loyalty and amass enormous power, making him impossible to ignore on the national stage and putting him in a position to shape South Africa for years to come”.

Below via IOL:

Mabuza told the National Council of Provinces on Thursday that there were plans in place to get Eskom functioning.

Part of the plan was to bring Medupi and Kusile power stations online soon. This would ensure more energy generation capacity for the country.

Mabuza also said they want to bring in Independent Power Producers to ensure there was energy security…

Mabuza said they wanted to make sure that Eskom reduces its debt and strengthen its balance sheet.

Mabuza also said departments, businesses and households that owe Eskom must also start paying the power utility.

Yeah, and I want the Proteas to win the next Cricket World Cup, but we have to be realistic, David.

Finally, let’s spare one brief, fleeting thought for the person who runs the Eskom Twitter account.

Chances are, they’re not responsible for creating and designing the messaging that the utility shares on social media, but their mentions must be a mess.

Two days ago, we were treated to tips on how to dress warmly in our own homes, and yesterday it was this fact sheet:

Please share the loadshedding checklist with friends and family to ensure that everyone is well prepared during loadshedding. pic.twitter.com/yfTH56jO9C

— Eskom Hld SOC Ltd (@Eskom_SA) September 3, 2020

Some Grade A buck-passing on show.

[sources:bloomberg&iol]