The country’s gone to shit, there’s literally not enough power to keep the lights lit, but we’re still hanging on by a thread…
Here are the loadshedding schedules for CAPE TOWN including stages 6, 7 and 8…ahead of the great darkness that lies beyond.
Good luck and stay safe out there, people.
Like a poor sequel, loadshedding (you may remember it from such terms as “Rolling Blackouts”) has returned, and once again, we are regularly being plunged into darkness.
Being plunged into darkness is never good at the best of times, but if you don’t know that it’s coming, it can be particularly irritating. So, best that you know when it’s coming then, and we’re here to help.
The good news for those of us in Cape Town is that some degree of loadshedding is often mitigated by our spare generation capacity (the hydroelectric unit up at Steenbras).
If you’re going to work out when and how much you’re going to be loadshod, you need a few bits of information. First off, you need to know whether you are supplied by the City or by Eskom and you need to know what stage loadshedding we are on.
To see what stage the local loadshedding is on, check this page.
To check for who your supplier is, look at the map here.
If you’re not in one of the cheerfully coloured areas, you’re an Eskom customer, and you should go here to view the appropriate schedules.
If you are in one of the cheerfully coloured areas, look at which one and then head here to see when you’re going to be cut off.
And that’s it. Loadshedding isn’t an exact science, so no promises made as to what might actually happen on the ground at the time, but this is as good a guideline as you’re going to get.
Loadshedding should last for about 2½ hours a pop. If it goes on much longer than that something has gone wrong (or it wasn’t loadshedding in the first place – other electrical problems are also possible), talk to the City on 0860 103 089 or Eskom on 086 00 37566.
Or do some online shouty stuff:
Don’t forget to not tell them where you live. That’s always helps.
Other useful links:
City twitter
Eskom twitter
Khulu Phasiwe twitter – Eskom spokesperson – DO NOT SHOOT THE MESSENGER.
I would really rather not be writing this one.
Yep. Loadshedding is back. Not wet coal or no coal or breakdowns or corruption this time. This is strike action, although some believe it should be called something entirely different:
Because yes, this electricity shortage is because the workers aren’t happy about not getting a pay rise this year. But whatever terminology you wish to use, it’s the everyday people of the country that will suffer.
Which brings me to my next point: if you are in Cape Town, when might you be likely to suffer?
Here’s the information you need, in handy PDF form.
To work out when you might expect the lights to go out. And the TV, during the World Cup. Or the rugby, you smarmy egg-chasers. Yeah, that grin disappeared pretty quickly, didn’t it?
Using the schedule isn’t exactly rocket surgery. Use the map to find the numbered area in which you live or work (or intend to watch the sport), then match the date on the timetable below to see when you can expect the misery of a rolling blackout.
If you’re outside any of the gaily coloured areas on the map, then you need to go to the Eskom website to get your schedule.