Small businesses, still reeling from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, are now under further strain during the worst power cuts in over two years.
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Eskom said there was still a high level of absenteeism among its workforce due to a strike and that it could take weeks to clear a maintenance backlog.
Eskom is offering workers a 7% wage increase after the utility lost units during illegal protests that plunged South Africa into the worst blackouts since 2019, sources said.
Eskom and trade unions cited progress in talks to end a strike that has caused South Africa’s worst power cuts in more than two years.
Eskom has announced that for only the second time in history, the country will be subjected to stage-6 load shedding.
Eskom has warned that there is a “very real risk” of stage-6 load shedding during the evening peak on Tuesday as an illegal strike at Eskom intensifies and turns violent.
Eskom said most of its workforce is in place following unlawful industrial action, though generation capacity has yet to improve.
Unlawful industrial action at Eskom’s power stations means South Africans will have to continue to endure stage-4 load shedding until at least Wednesday night.
Eskom will implement severe load shedding from 11am on Friday to conserve its emergency reserves as some of its workers, striking illegally, blockade its power stations.
Eskom has warned that illegal strike action by employees could make load shedding worse in the coming days.