After a lull of a almost three weeks, load shedding has once again made an unwelcome return – and on a Saturday evening, when demand is typically lower than average.

In a brief statement issued at 5.30pm on Saturday, Eskom said it had been forced to impose the rolling blackouts with immediate effect. Stage-3 load shedding will be implemented until further notice, the power utility said.

Update: South Africa faces stage-6 power cuts as generation units fail

“Following over 20 days of uninterrupted electricity supply, Eskom has encountered another temporary setback,” the company said in the statement.

“Eskom will give an update on Sunday.”

When load shedding returned three weeks ago — after a break of 10 months — energy minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa described the situation as a “setback”, especially considering the state-owned energy utility’s stated goal of achieving a full year without enforced power cuts.

Read: Eskom risk premium falls as turnaround wins over investors

“We are within touching distance of the resolution of load shedding. We are on the right track, and the trend line showing our efforts to reduce unplanned losses is positive,” he said at the time. ”

We have been seeing the rewards over a sustained period of 18 months. If we see setbacks, it is a disappointment, but that should not deter us from the bigger picture shown by that trend line.” — © 2025 NewsCentral Media

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