18 Oct 2019 | 08:55 AM UTC
South Africa: Rotational blackouts continue October 18 /update 2
Rotational power outages continue as of October 18 due to limited capacity; associated electrical, transportation, and business disruptions expected
Event
Further nationwide power outages are expected for the third consecutive day on Friday, October 18, as the state-owned utility company Eskom Holdings announced it has lost more generation capacity. Around 1000 MW of power will be cut nationwide from 09:00 (local time) until 12:00 on a rotational basis, and from then on, 2000 MW will be cut until 23:00. According to Eskom, no power cuts are expected between October 19-20. Rotational blackouts were previously implemented on Wednesday following a breakdown at power plants. A full schedule of the load shedding can be found on the Eskom website.
Associated transportation, business, and power disruptions are expected throughout Friday. Further blackouts may occur in the coming days. Demonstrations are also possible if power disruptions persist over the near term.
Advice
Individuals in South Africa are advised to monitor developments to the situation, to be cautious when driving or crossing streets if traffic signals are not functioning, adhere to all instructions issued by the local authorities, and keep battery-operated devices fully charged whenever possible.
