By Thapelo Molefe
Electricity and Energy Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa has apologised to South Africans for the recent round of load-shedding, saying that it was expected to end on Monday.
A wave of unexpected breakdowns at multiple power stations led to a generation shortfall of approximately 2,700 MW, plunging South Africa into stage 3 load-shedding on Friday afternoon.
Ramokgopa and Eskom executives held a press conference on Saturday to brief the media on the full extent of the situation and outlined a recovery plan to stabilise the national grid.
“I would like to convey my sincere apologies that the country has to experience the gross inconvenience of load-shedding,” the minister said.
He reiterated what President Cyril Ramaphosa said in his State of the Nation Address earlier this year, that load-shedding had huge implications for economic growth and business development.
Detailing the sequence of failures that led to the latest bout of blackouts, Ramokgopa said: “Kriel Unit 5 tripped due to condenser high vacuum, Koeberg Unit 2 had to be taken offline just days after returning to service due to a steam leak, and Lethabo Unit 2 suffered a boiler tube failure.”
The challenges did not end there. Severe weather conditions affected coal operations at Kusile, forcing units 4 and 5 offline, while Matimba unit 5 also suffered a module failure.
With these outages, combined with ongoing maintenance work, the available generation capacity plummeted, necessitating the implementation of stage 3 load-shedding.
Eskom CEO Dan Marokane also acknowledged the frustration caused by ongoing power cuts, but highlighted progress made in improving the utility’s performance.
“We understand the impact these power cuts have on the daily lives of South Africans and are committed to restoring stability,” Marokane stated.
He noted that the maintenance of generation units not returning on the planned dates, referred to as slippage, being a significant factor for the current situation.
Marokane said that to replenish emergency reserves, the utility was left with no choice but to implement load-shedding.
Ramokgopa assured South Africans that efforts to restore power generation were underway.
“We expect to return approximately 7,554 MW to service over the next eight days,” he told reporters.
Among the units set to return are those at Kusile, Kriel, Majuba and Koeberg, with some expected to be operational during peak demand hours.
“The focus is on ensuring that a significant portion of capacity is back during morning and evening peaks to reduce pressure on the grid,” the minister said.
While the government and Eskom were working to stabilise the power supply, Ramokgopa urged citizens to assist by using electricity sparingly.
“This is a tough period, but we are working tirelessly to bring the system back to stability. The cooperation of all South Africans is critical in managing demand and avoiding further disruptions,” he said.
With planned maintenance continuing into winter to meet regulatory and environmental requirements, the minister acknowledged that the road to energy security remained challenging.
However, he reassured the public that the government was prioritising long-term solutions.
“We understand the frustration, but these interventions are necessary to ensure a more reliable power supply in the future,” said Ramokgopa.
The minister will visit the affected power stations, reportedly saying there will be consequences if human error is to blame.
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