Wake up. Coffee. Check EskomSePush to see at what time we’ll be without power. Just another day in the life of a South African.
There’s nothing quite like an EskomSePush notification to remind you that all is not well with this country. Sadly, they’re popping up again.
You never want to hear the words “death spiral” used in relation to your country’s power supplier.
A court ruling in favour of Eskom means that we could be looking at a significant electricity tariff hike next year.
Eskom spokesperson Sikonathi Mantshantsha has said that there is a “high probability” of load shedding during the evenings between five and nine, starting today.
Energy experts have warned that with an increase in demand once more, and a very chilly winter ahead, stage six load shedding is a possibility.
Load shedding will be here to stay for many years yet, but the short-term outlook for load shedding is more positive than was thought just a few weeks back.
Sadly, Eskom hasn’t been able to get as much done during the lockdown period as we would have hoped.
While Eskom expects a reduced demand for electricity during the lockdown period, we are by no means in the clear.
SA comedians Oliver Booth and Glen Biderman-Pam poke fun at Eskom and its bizarre load shedding schedule in this excellent video.
Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe are talking about 18 months to two years, but experts reckon those estimates are far from the truth.
Woolworths is struggling to keep earnings up, as it battles load shedding, economic constraints, and more fashion faux pas.
Cape Town may be able to ease those Eskom woes through buying energy from independent power producers (IPPs), which will be welcomed by residents.
Massive elec hike thwarted. China’s authoritarian crackdown. Elon hates Facebook. Shark-eating orcas back in Cape Town. Pele depressed. Queen’s grandson divorces. Pam’s ex-hubby says he was a fool.
Andre de Ruyter has the unenviable task of trying to turn Eskom around. It’s a good thing his hair is already grey.
Eskom wants to introduce a new ‘critical peak day tariff’, with the aim of decreasing electricity consumption in South Africa.
The World Bank has been watching on closely as load shedding returns, and the organisation has some pretty bleak predictions about what lies ahead.
Regular stage 6 blackouts coming. Karoo gets rain. Billionaire gives millions to Twitter followers. Teen Vogue’s weird FB article. Queen’s granddaughter banned from driving.
2020 is another bumper year for some of South Africa’s biggest political names, and could go a long way to shaping this country for years to come.
Everyone loves a 13th cheque, but you usually have to perform to some basic level of competency in order to be rewarded.
Load shedding to get worse. Clarkson’s nasty Australia chirp. Ethical vegan wins case. BBC won’t broadcast Beatrice wedding. Most exciting SA inventions.
Over the years, South Africans have had to develop a rather odd sense of humour about things like load shedding. Here’s Madam & Eve sticking the boot in.
South Africa’s most celebrated cartoonist has given Ramaphosa and our government a double dose this week.
According to President Ramaphosa, there are some nefarious circumstances behind the latest round of load shedding.
The good news is that we are, at the time of writing, sitting on Stage Four. The bad news is that things can, and may well, get far worse before they get any better.
What caused stage six. No bias in FBI Trump probe. BoJo reeling from sick boy photo fallout. SA banks – 2020 fees compared. Ghislaine Maxwell to do interview. Russia banned from sport. Charlize nominated.
Eskom is in charge of our very own Koeberg nuclear plant. No prizes for guessing that there could be a crisis in the near future.
Andre de Ruyter is about to take over the most poisoned of chalices, and he’s already catching heat from a number of angles.
Unfortunately, load shedding is here to stay, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t stay connected, online, and active when the lights go out.
Continuing on from his superb Helen Zille ‘wrecking ball’ cartoon last week, Zapiro has arrowed in on the mess facing Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan as he tries to fix Eskom.