Eskom, the power utility of South Africa, has declared intentional electricity outages, resulting in the removal of 3,000 megawatts from the power supply due to a temporary issue. This strategy, named load shedding, comes after comparable reductions in January after an almost uninterrupted period of power supply spanning about 10 months. Although Eskom has committed to provide more information on Sunday, they have not specified what caused the latest disturbances. Generally, these power outages are a result of malfunctions at Eskom’s antiquated coal power plants, the primary source of South Africa’s electrical power.

Load shedding is undertaken in phases, ranging from stage 1 which reduces power by 1,000 MW to stage 6, the utmost level. Early in the morning on Sunday, Eskom escalated the power reductions to stage 6 following multiple failures at their power plants. They declared that this measure is crucial for refilling their emergency reserves and preparing for the upcoming week. This is the gravest power cut since November 2023.

Source: http://www.africanews.com/2025/02/23/south-africa-faces-severe-power-cuts/