Eskom has confirmed that it will implement Stage 2 load shedding from 9 o’clock on Thursday night to six o’clock on Friday morning. In a statement, the power utility says this is due to system constraints and depleting emergency resources.

Eskom says the risk of load shedding on Friday and into the weekend remains high. It has advised consumers to continue using electricity sparingly.

Earlier this week,  Minister in the Presidency Jackson Mthembu said there would be focus on the country’s State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) during the Cabinet Lekgotla, which is being held at the Presidential Guest House in Pretoria.

The issues at SOEs include Eskom’s power generation difficulties and the financial crisis at the South African Airways (SAA). Government says it believes that it cannot successfully grow the economy if it does not have a reliable energy supply.

In an attempt to lessen the pressure for Eskom to provide electricity, the African National Congress National Executive Committee (ANC NEC) Lekgotla last week approved plans for municipalities to procure their own energy, paving the way for the independent power producers programme.

“Because we are the government, there are the gaps in our SOEs, in the structures of the government at national level, at provincial level, at the municipalities … what is it that we need to do to arrest the capacities that seem not to be there in many of our state entities and of course in government broadly?” said Mthembu .