Johannesburg – Energy analyst Sampson Mampheli warns that South Africa is heading towards a total blackout.
Earlier, Eskom warned of the possibility of Stage 6 power cuts.
In a briefing earlier, Eskom explained it had suffered significant losses overnight.
It adds the current strike by employees also poses a serious challenge.
“The strike itself came at the wrong time because it came at a time when the system is heavily constrained with more than 40 megawatts that’s not available due to a number of factors like breakdowns,” said Mampheli.
“So, it is quite difficult. The coal fleet isn’t performing. They gave details in terms of the backlog and the maintenance.
“We are moving towards a blackout. Stage 6 is one stage away from total blackout.
“Once we get to that level it’s going to be very difficult for us to reawaken the entire system we are sitting in a difficult situation as things stand.”
