Here we go again! This time it looks bad! Eskom says that load shedding will resume again as from today across the whole country. They say the load shedding is necessary for them to carry out maintenance work. But I do not buy this! There is something else behind this and it is not just maintenance work. It is no secret that there is just not enough power to run South Africa right now.

Eskom also say that the outages will be more predictable than they were in November and January. It hopes that scheduled load shedding will cause fewer disruptions, as people will be able to plan for the blackouts. Fair and fine if we are able to know exactly when the power would go but from previous experiences, the proposed schedule has not been followed. Eskom say that we can check on their website (www.eskom.co.za) to find out the schedule for your area. I have been trying to check the schedule for the past hour and all I get from the website is a message saying ‘Service Unavailable’ and if I get passed that stage, I can not seem to find my area of residence. One can also call the Eskom call center on (08600) eskom but I am affraid calling this number as I am sure you will be placed on hold for a very long time.

The fact that Eskom say this current load shedding will last until June means that we maybe in for a very cold and dark winter. If Eskom is struggling to supply power now during the summer, what more in winter when the demand for electricity is higher? Maybe we should give them the benefit of the doubt and hope that this ‘maintenance’ work they say they are doing now is with the view of making sure we have enough power during winter.