Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said on Thursday that President Cyril Ramaphosa was exploring “urgent measures to mitigate the impact of load shedding”.
According to Magwenya, Ramaphosa is engaged in critical meetings on the current energy crisis, including some scheduled for Thursday and Friday.
On Wednesday, power utility Eskom announced Stage 6 load shedding would continue “until further notice” due to severe capacity constraints.
Since Tuesday morning, 11 Eskom generators have broken down, providing 5,084 MW of capacity.
A high level of load shedding coincided with the reopening of schools in the inland provinces of Free State, Gauteng, North West, Limpopo and Mpumalanga.
According to Magwenya, Ramaphosa is “deeply regretting” the current energy situation.
As the school calendar year begins, households, parents, and students are faced with power shortages. Despite SA’s recovering economy, small businesses remain devastated and adversely impacted.”
There has been a surge in the use of generators or solar-powered backup systems since the recent power crisis as households, businesses, and municipalities try to reduce their dependence on Eskom. In some municipalities, Stage 6 rolling blackouts mean up to 12 hours a day without electricity.
Magwenya reiterated that the President remained committed to finding a sustainable solution to the crisis.
“Despite the current gloomy state of load shedding, the National Energy Crisis Committee workstreams have continued to make progress in several areas aimed at ensuring the sustainability of the grid and finding additional megawatts.”