Load shedding could go up to stage 8 in winter

Eskom has painted a bleak winter as the power utility revealed that load shedding could go up to stage 8 in the next few months.

The utility’s Chief Transmission Executive, Segomoco Scheepers, was among the executives who addressed the media on the state of the grid ahead of the winter season.

“In terms of the winter outlook we consider three scenarios and what this indicates, depending on where we land on a particular day, we may have up to stage 8 load shedding, if our interventions to reduce demand and increase reliability are not effective,” said Scheepers.

The power utility’s interim CEO, Calib Cassim, has reassured the public that the country is far from a complete blackout.

He said the high load shedding stages South Africans have been experiencing, as Eskom has been alternating between stages 3 and 6, form part of their attempts to prevent a total grid collapse.

Andre de Ruyter controversy

The board also announced that Eskom will launch an independent probe into the corruption allegations the utility’s former CEO Andre de Ruyter has made in his book titled, Truth to Power.

The board’s chairperson, Mpho Makwana, told the media that de Ruyter broke the company’s trust in the most repulsive manner.

“It must be noted and placed on record that trust was broken by him making those public statements and the publication of the book.

“Transgressions were carried out by an executive who was in a fiduciary position in possession of propriety information of a national key point,” added Makwana.

Makwana asserts that de Ruyter went beyond his obligations as CEO.

His remarks come a day after Public Enterprises Minister, Pravin Gordhan, took a swipe on the former CEO over his conduct.

Gordhan accused de Ruyter of having displayed poor accountability.

He says his graft claims at the parastatal are nothing new and he is making everyone seem like a fool while he plays the hero.

De Ruyter is yet to comment on the backlash against him over his utterances on Eskom.