Due to a power deficit, Eskom has in the past two months been rationing its energy supplies through a system it calls “load shedding”.
The country needs 45,000 megawatts (MW) but it is short of producing this amount by 17,000MW due to its aging coal-powered generators and unreliable supplies from hydro-electricity imports from Mozambique’s Cahora Bassa Dam on the Zambezi River.
Eskom explained that the country’s current “load shedding is controlled and managed on a rotational basis for a period of between two or four hours at a time, depending on the schedule that the customer is on, on a particular day.”
It added: “It must be noted that load shedding is implemented as a measure of last resort to protect the national electricity system.
Eskom said it was aware of parody social media accounts being used to spread fake news on its operations.
“We will continue to provide regular updates about the state of the power system through various media and through the official Eskom social media platforms.”