Eskom published the loadshedding schedule for the weekend starting on Friday, 26 May 2023, which forecasts Stages 4 and 5 outages during the evening.
Weekend loadshedding schedule starting Friday, 26 May 2023
In a statement, the power utility revealed Stage 5 loadshedding will remain in place from 16:00 on Friday until 05:00 the next day. Thereafter, the heightened stage will return on Saturday evening.
During the day this weekend, between 05:00 and 16:00, rotational blackouts will lower from Stage 3 on Saturday, to Stage 2 on Sunday, the lowest they’ve been in a week.
Here’s a look at the weekend loadshedding schedule starting Friday, 26 May 2023:
| Date | Morning Peak (05:00 – 16:00) | Evening Peak (16:00 – 05:00) |
| Friday 26 May 2023 | Stage 3 | Stage 5 |
| Saturday 27 May 2023 | Stage 3* | Stage 5* |
| Sunday 28 May 2023 | Stage 2* | Stage 4* |
Update on breakdowns and available capacity
On Friday, Eskom reported more than 17 392MW of generation capacity lost to breakdowns, with an additional 2 940MW offline due to several units placed out of commission for planned maintenance.
In the last 24 hours, Eskom’s generation fleet lost a unit at Camden and another two at Arnot, while at Grootvlei, Hendrina and Kriel, a unit each was returned to service.
Here’s a snapshot of Eskom’s energy availability, observed from the evening peak period of Wednesday, 24 May 2023: