Load shedding is a controlled process that responds to unplanned events in order to protect the electricity power system from a total blackout. While we generally use the word blackout loosely to mean “no lights” in our local area, a country-wide blackout has much more serious consequences.

100 reasons why load shedding can benefit you

• Spend less time on devices (We don’t need to plan a “no technology day” anymore)
• Spend more time connecting with family and friends.
• Less noise pollution.
• Less light pollution.
• It’s atmospheric (there’s nothing like candlelight to make a scene beautiful)

However, regularly scheduled mandatory load shedding started in April 2008, to allow maintenance periods of power generators, and recovery of coal stockpiles before the winter, when electricity usage is expected to surge.

Load shedding and power outages affect traffic lights and street lighting. Driving during power outages and load shedding can be an extreme sport. In addition to traffic and streetlights being out, you may come across emergency vehicles on the road, or have difficulty seeing pedestrians in the dark.

Load shedding happens when there is not enough electricity available to meet the demand of all customers, and an electricity (public) utility will interrupt the energy supply to certain areas. This rotational load shedding was caused by extreme cold weather and a high demand for the power at the time.

Tips and Tricks to survive Load Shedding:

• Go Solar.
• Get gas.
• Use empy plastic cool drink bottles and fill them with water and place in your deep freeze.
• Battery operated lights.
• Get a head torch or cap.
• Get a generator.
• Make sure you have car chargers for your cell phone and iPad.

Stage 4 will double the frequency of Stage 2, which means you will be scheduled for load shedding 12 times over a four day period for two hours at a time, or 12 times over an eight day period for four hours at a time.

Power Cuts South Africa has been dogged by electricity outages – known locally as load shedding – since 2005, with the near-monopoly state power utility Eskom unable to meet demand from its old and poorly maintained plants.

Tshwane Load Shedding Schedules. There is currently no Load Shedding in progress!

1) Shortage of gas also creates hurdles in smooth running of life. And in homes and restaurants food is cooked on gas. They face problems. 2)Home appliances also run by electricity but because shortage of electricity life becomes so hard and difficult.

Electricity Supply Commission

Debt fell to 401 billion rand ($29 billion) at the end of March, from 484 billion rand a year earlier, Gordhan said in a webcast speech to lawmakers on Tuesday. The utility has yet to release its financial results for the year.

Debt, debt and debt: Eskom, in keeping with the South African fiscus and other SOEs, is facing a tremendous amount of debt, with really no way to eliminate its debt bill. The electricity supplier’s debt has ballooned to a jaw-dropping R464 billion, and the interest on its debt alone equated to a jaw-dropping R39.

Nedbank Group Ltd. is leading discussions to restructure South African power utility Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd.’s 464 billion ($32 billion) debt load, according to people familiar with the talks.

Eskom had reduced its mountain of debt by R83bn at the close of the financial year by paying off mature loans and reaping the benefits of exchange rate movements, public enterprises minister Pravin Gordhan told parliament on Tuesday. Eskom’s debt reached a high of R484bn during 2020/2021. It now stands at R401bn.

4 Western Cape

In 2020, the national debt of South Africa amounted to around 283.19 billion U.S. dollars….South Africa: National debt from 2016 to 2026 (in billion U.S. dollars)

1. Brunei (GDP: 2.46%) Brunei is one of the countries with the lowest debt. It has a debt to GDP ratio of 2.46 percent among a population of 439,000 people, which makes it the world’s country with the lowest debt.

In 2020, the national debt of South Africa amounted to approximately 77.06 percent of GDP….South Africa: National debt in relation to gross domestic product (GDP) from 2016 to 2026.