Eskom temporarily suspends rolling blackouts

Eskom has temporarily suspended power cuts from Sunday morning citing a sufficient recovery in generating capacity.

The power utility says the rolling blackouts will be reinstated again from 5pm this afternoon.

Eskom spokesperson Sikonathi Mantshantsha explains, “Loadshedding was cancelled at 08:00 this morning, owing to a sufficient recovery in generating capacity and pumped storage dam levels. Loadshedding will be reinstated at 17:00 and the stage will be confirmed during the afternoon and the stage will be communicated during the afternoon.”

Power cuts affecting reservoir levels

The Dawid Kruiper Municipality in Upington, Northern Cape, says it is struggling to fill its water reservoirs because of rolling blackouts.

Temperatures in one of South Africa’s hottest towns have been hovering around the mid-thirties for the past week with no respite in sight.

Spokesperson for the municipality Patrick Williams say the continued rolling blackouts and the high water demand have left reservoirs near empty. Reservoir levels are critically low, and the municipality is not getting enough time to refill them.

Williams called on residents to use water sparingly.

“As we all know the water is pumped from the river by machines that are operated by electricity. So as a result of load shedding, we are struggling to pump water into the reservoirs. And once the water is in the reservoirs, it is used very quickly. So, we are calling on residents to use water sparingly, and not to use water for irrigation of their gardens, also not to wash their vehicles and not to fill up their swimming pools.”