"Eskom is pleased to announce that load-shedding will be reduced to Stage 1 tomorrow (Friday) as capacity constraints have eased today. This follows the return to service of four generation units yesterday (Wednesday) and today. Stage 1 load-shedding will be implemented starting at 09:00 until 22:00 tomorrow," the company said via a statement. 

South Africans were this week again subjected to stage 2 load-shedding as a result of multiple breakdowns at various plants - the result of years of poor planning for maintenance and ageing infrastructure at the cash-strapped state-owned entity, which was looted during the so-called state capture years. 

The country has been experiencing intermittent rolling blackouts for over a decade, severely affecting businesses, the economy, and investor confidence. 

The company said in the same statement that four generators had been returned to service at the Duvha, Kriel, Tutuka, and Kusile Power Stations. Three more units were expected to be returned to service during the night. 

Unplanned breakdowns stood at 11 250 MW of capacity, adding to the 4 400MW currently out on planned maintenance, said Eskom. 

"While the supply constraints have eased this afternoon, Eskom still urges the public to use electricity sparingly as the aged generation infrastructure is unreliable and volatile. Any deterioration in the generation performance may therefore necessitate the escalation in the stage of load-shedding at short notice."

African News Agency