South Africa: Opposition rally in Pretoria March 29 /update 4

Event

The opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) party is planning to hold a rally in Pretoria on Friday, March 29, at the Caledonian Stadium. Supporters will start gathering at 10:00 (local time) to protest recent rotational power cuts by the South African public utility company Eskom. The demonstration is being held under the slogan “Keep the Lights On” and DA leaders are calling for cities to be allowed to use independent power producers and for greater competition among utility companies. While the rally is expected to remain peaceful, heightened security measures and localized traffic disruptions are anticipated around the event.

On Monday, March 25, Eskom announced that no load-shedding measures are expected to be implemented in the coming week due to improved plant performance. However, the company warned that further load-shedding may be necessary as the national grid remains vulnerable.

Context

Eskom has implemented a rotational load-shedding plan across the national power grid to manage reserves in diesel and water. The measures have caused widespread power outages across South Africa, with the most recent occurring on March 21. Updated information concerning load shedding schedules is available here.

Advice

Individuals in Pretoria are advised to avoid all protests and demonstrations as a precaution and adhere to all instructions issued by the local authorities.

When load-shedding measures are in place, individuals in South Africa are advised to keep battery-operated devices fully charged whenever possible. In addition, individuals are advised to be cautious when driving or crossing streets if traffic signals are not functioning.