Find The Loadshedding Schedule For Your Area

1. Head to the load shedding schedule area search at the top of the page.
2. Enter your suburb or town name and wait for the search results to load.
3. Select the relevant area from the search results.
4. The Eskom loadshedding schedule for your area will appear, showing you when the electricity will be off today and the week ahead.

Our site automatically adjusts the schedule according to the current load shedding stage, saving you from the extra legwork often needed on sites like Eskom.

If you are still having trouble finding your schedule, check here.

Loadshedding is when Eskom, South Africa's national power company, temporarily cuts off electricity to various areas to manage a shortage in energy supply. Simply put, there isn't enough power to go around.

How Does It Work?

In order to reduce demand at any given time, different neighbourhoods across the country take turns having no electricity according to the eskom loadshedding schedule. For instance, one area might lose power from 8am-10am, and another from 10am-12pm. The frequency and duration depend on the severity of the shortage, categorized into loadshedding stages 1 to 8. The higher the stage, the more often the outages.

Why Does Eskom Do This?

Eskom uses loadshedding as a last-resort solution to prevent the entire national power system from crashing - so called "grid collapse". It's like juggling – if Eskom tries to keep too many balls (areas) in the air without enough energy, everything might fall apart.

This isn't a new issue; loadshedding has been around for many years. However, since the end of 2022, it's become a daily part of our lives in South Africa.

Loadshedding is the result of challenges our national power grid has faced over the years. Delayed maintenance, slow-paced new energy developments, hiccups in starting new power plants, crime and corruption have led to a strained power supply.

Eskom carefully monitors the power grid and plans loadshedding when there's any chance that the electricity supply won't match up to the demand. This mismatch can be caused by:

• A surge in electricity demand that overshadows generation, like during cold weather.
• Technical glitches at power plants, limiting their output, like breakdowns or wet coal.
• Transportation issues, stopping electricity from reaching its destination.

While the specific reasons might change day by day, it often ties back to either planned maintenance or unexpected outages at power facilities.

In 2023, repairs and maintenance at two power stations have been large contributors to load shedding - Kusile and Koeberg, together contributing around 4 stages of loadshedding.

The increase in loadshedding since September 2023 is significantly influenced by Eskom's ramped-up planned maintenance schedule. During the summer months, they take approximately 6,000MW offline, double the 3,000MW in winter. This can lead to an additional three stages of loadshedding. However, it's worth noting that consumer demand typically drops during these warmer months, offsetting some of the impact. While this heightened maintenance might intensify loadshedding in the immediate term, it is a vital step towards revitalizing our power infrastructure. This proactive approach is poised to enhance the power system's reliability and reduce loadshedding in the long run.

The predictability of Eskom's fleet remains a challenge. While some energy experts are optimistic that loadshedding could conclude by the end of 2024, others foresee a more extended timeline. The good news is that both Eskom and the government are now prioritizing the issue, taking it more seriously than they have in the years past.

Several positive steps are on the horizon. Repairs at Kusile are in progress, with phased reactivation planned between September and December. If successful, this could alleviate around three stages of loadshedding. Additionally, the Koeberg Nuclear Power Station, currently undergoing vital maintenance and contributing one stage of loadshedding, is set to be fully operational by mid-2024. Beyond these specific projects, intensified maintenance efforts across the board, combined with escalating private investment in energy infrastructure and the debut of new energy projects, suggest that 2024 could see a significant reduction in loadshedding.