Is Eskom keeping us in the dark over load-shedding stages?

[View in browser]( [Mail & Guardian]( M&G Mornings | Wed 19 Apr   [ozayr_patel_hello-1] As I’m writing this, we are on stage six load-shedding until further notice. That is a crazy amount of time with no power. In some cases, it is up to nine hours a day. One can only imagine the damage this will do to various sectors. It’s damage we can ill-afford. But we must ask whether Eskom is being truthful. Various media outlets reported that we are in stage eight but without confirmation from Eskom. Their sources were energy experts. But what sparked this? Well Eskom, in an update last week, tweeted that load-shedding was at 7 072 megawatts. By Eskom’s definition, a single stage of load-shedding requires the utility to cut 1 000 megawatts of power, so cutting between 7 000 and 8 000 megawatts must, by the utility’s own definition, mean stage eight. But on top of that, the utility announced that there is load curtailment of stage four. This is where it asks big power users to ease up on their usage. Current Eskom spokesperson Daphne Mokwena refuted the stage eight claims by several media outlets, saying the public experienced stage six cuts. keep in mind that this is not the first time something like this has happened. Remember in February when the spokesperson at the time, Sikonathi Mantshantsha, tweeted that they had exceeded 7 000 megawatts load-shedding. But this wasn’t officially announced. The talk doing the rounds is that Eskom is afraid that if it announces stages above six, it might scare investors away or it might lead to social upheaval. Either way, look out for our Eskom story today from Mandisa Nyathi saying that load-shedding is firmly with us. Or subscribe to the Green Guardian, [our environmental newsletter]( where you can learn about invasive turtles and fairy circles in Namibia. Ozayr Patel | Climate & Environment Editor [@Ozayr8]( [Patricia de Lille.]( Premium [De Lille to wield axe on troubled SA Tourism board]( Sexual harassment and the Tottenham debacle are said to be behind the plan to replace the board with a new one This article is only available to subscribers. [View subscription options]( If you are already a subscriber, login here. [// Read more]( Articles labelled as Premium are only available to subscribers. [CLICK HERE]( to subscribe Already a subscriber? [SIGN IN HERE]( [March 30 2020 - With schools closed across the country, children from Lavender Hill in Cape Town still get a daily meal prepared by a local community organisation. Lockdown Cape Town. Photo by David Harrison]( [School dropout rate improved by 10% compared with pre-Covid levels]( The department of basic education’s researcher says the dropout rates can improve to 83% by 2050 [// Read more]( [zumacourt]( [ANC in KwaZulu-Natal used Zuma and then discarded him, says Niehaus]( The provincial leaders used Zuma’s popularity to further their political careers, according to expelled cadre Carl Niehaus [// Read more]( Recommended Reads [Do we want schools to babysit our children for 12 years or to teach them?]( Schools do have the responsibility to assume some of the parents’ responsibilities but does not seek to replace the role of parents [// Read more]( [South Africa needs an effective prison rehabilitation programme]( Prisons have four major purposes — retribution, incapacitation, deterrence and rehabilitation. Retribution means punishment for crimes against society. [// Read more]( [Money and mitochondria: Capitalism messes with our mental health]( We must turn to nature for guidance through the world’s mental health crisis and the little bobtail squid provides a good example [// Read more]( [Tanzania signs multimillion-dollar deals for mining projects]( Agreements with three Australian mining companies will ramp up the production of graphite and rare earth minerals, all used in the electric vehicle industry [// Read more]( [Brazil rejects US criticism, defends Russia ties]( Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has said the United States should not support a war and rather promote peace [// Read more]( Pic of the day [GettyImages-157313406] Scientist Guy Midgley calls for action on avoiding a climate disaster from an African perspective. Photo: Getty Images [Share]( [Share]( [Tweet]( [Tweet]( [Forward]( [Forward]( This email was sent to {EMAIL} [why did I get this?]( [unsubscribe from this list]( [update subscription preferences]( Mail & Guardian Media LTD · 25 Owl St · Braamfontein · Johannesburg, Gauteng 2001 · South Africa