Just when South Africans thought they had turned a corner, Eskom load shedding returned, sending businesses and households into turmoil. Speaking on Hot Business with Jeremy Maggs and Moneyweb, energy analyst Ruse Moleshe shed light on the crisis, the lack of Eskom’s reserve capacity and their aggressive maintenance efforts. 

“Eskom doesn’t have sufficient reserve capacity to deal with system challenges,” Moleshe explained. Summer maintenance schedules take a toll, and without backup power solutions like those used in other countries, Eskom resorts to load shedding when systems falter.  

Eskom’s Infrastructure Challenges  

The Minister of Electricity attributed recent power cuts to “aggressive maintenance” but Moleshe argues that while this approach is necessary, it exposes flaws in Eskom’s infrastructure. 

“The challenges were not related to major equipment like turbines and generators but to transformers and auxiliary systems,” she said. Despite the frustration, Moleshe remains cautiously optimistic. “Hopefully, the disciplined maintenance we’ve seen will pay off, as it did last winter,” she added. 

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Private Sector Involvement Amid Eskom Load Shedding 

As discussions about private sector involvement in energy generation gain traction, Moleshe warned that policy isn’t the main barrier. “The real challenge is transmission infrastructure. We’re still doing pilot studies on how to scale up.” 

Renewable energy expansion also faces obstacles. “We need stable, flexible capacity—such as gas—to complement renewables,” she explained. While Eskom’s recent 10-month period of stability offered hope, stage 6 load shedding serves as a reminder that the road to energy security is far from over. 

Final Thoughts  

For now, Eskom is working to restore uninterrupted power by the end of the week. “It’s a realistic timeline,” Moleshe noted, “Significant capacity is already back on stream, and emergency power reserves should help stabilise the grid.” 

However, it is unclear if this is a brief reprieve or the end of stage 6 load shedding. Tune in to Hot Business for more news and updates on Eskom load shedding and current affairs.