South Africa has once again been thrown into darkness as Eskom reintroduced Stage 6 load shedding in the early hours of Sunday.
The unexpected escalation from Stage 3 to Stage 6 follows the sudden failure of multiple generating units at the Camden, Majuba, and Medupi power stations, leaving the power utility scrambling to recover lost capacity.
A Sudden Crisis Unfolds
Eskom CEO Dan Marokane confirmed the severity of the situation, explaining that 10 generating units failed overnight.
“Of the 10 units we lost overnight, we have returned six units. As we are sitting here, another from Matimba came online. We recovered 3,200MW of capacity overnight. We have five to six units that will come online today and will take stock after the evening peak,” said Marokane said during the impromptu Sunday media briefing.
The failures stemmed from a transformer overload at Majuba, a network under-frequency trip at Medupi, and a hydraulic valve failure at Camden. According to Marokane, the cascading failures forced Eskom to shift to Stage 3 load shedding by 5.30pm on Saturday before escalating to Stage 6 by 1.30am on Sunday.
Eskom Responds to the Crisis
Eskom chairperson Mteto Nyati expressed frustration over the setback, calling it “disappointing”, but reaffirmed Eskom’s commitment to ending load shedding. “Ourselves, we are disappointed at what has happened. It is something that as the leadership of Eskom, we want to make sure that we minimise or eliminate it going forward.”
Minister of Electricity and Energy Kgosientsho Ramokgopa also acknowledged public anger. “A setback [is] unacceptable, and we understand your anger, your disappointment, your grievance. We will resolve this,“ Ramokgopa said, further ruling out any deliberate sabotage—asserting that the crisis was purely technical.
“I want to repeat that there’s nothing underhand, we are not suspecting any sabotage on the basis of the evidence that is before us. We can explain what has happened with the responsibility that we are going to fix it. We’re not going to manufacture reasons,” he said.
Taking full responsibility and accountability, in the same manner that we bask in the glory of uninterrupted days of load shedding,” the Minister declared: “The buck stops here.”
Load Shedding to Persist Throughout the Week
According to Eskom, Stage 6 load shedding was necessary to stabilise the power grid and replenish emergency reserves, which had been heavily depleted during the week. The power cuts are expected to continue throughout the week, with hopes of improvement by the weekend.
Despite the setback, Eskom remains optimistic, highlighting that its Generation Recovery Plan – launched in 2023 – has been yielding positive results. Majuba and Camden, two of the affected power stations, have been among Eskom’s best performers, with energy availability factors of 68% and 61%, respectively
Electricity Price Hikes Deepen Energy Poverty
The 12.7% electricity price hike, recently approved by the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA), has added yet another burden on already struggling households. Many low-income families—who are already making difficult financial choices—will now be forced to decide between paying for electricity or affording essentials like food and healthcare.
Despite government promises, energy poverty is worsening, pushing more people towards unsafe alternatives like paraffin, candles, and illegal connections. This not only increases the risk of fires and accidents but also places additional strain on an already fragile electricity grid.
Public frustration is growing, with trade unions, political parties, and community leaders strongly criticising the price hike, calling it unsustainable. Some civic groups have even speculated that Eskom’s intensified load shedding could be linked to its failure to secure the full 36% tariff increase it initially requested, though Eskom has denied such claims.
A recording also circulated on social media, alleging that the reason behind this week’s load shedding was due to Eskom’s failure to pay a supplier a R5-million diesel bill last week.
“We saw the video that is making the rounds on this, and Eskom can confirm that there is absolutely no truth to this rumour,” the power utility’s spokesperson Daphne Mokwena said to Daily Maverick.
A Step Back After 300 Days Without Load Shedding
The crisis comes after South Africa celebrated a milestone of 300 consecutive days without load shedding—a streak that ended in early February with a brief return of rolling blackouts.
Ramokgopa sought to reassure the public that Eskom remains on track to eliminate load shedding permanently. “We’re starting on another run, and hopefully this is the final run and we’ll speak of load shedding in historic terms, as an account of what once went wrong and in fact [that] this country has been able to correct it,” he said.
Despite the optimism, South Africans face another grueling week of blackouts, underscoring the fragility of the country’s power system and the worsening financial burden on citizens struggling to keep their lights on.
“As the leadership of Eskom, we want to make sure that we minimise or eliminate it going forward.”
