Eskom suspended loadshedding from 12pm to 5pm on Friday, 4 June to allow Parliament to pass the Appropriation Bill – further angering South African residents who have been suffering through bad traffic and power outages at work this week.
In a statement, Eskom confirmed the suspension, stating: “In a response to Eskom from the Deputy Speak of Parliament, Stage 2 loadshedding will be suspended from 12:00 to 17:00 this afternoon in order for the virtual sitting of Parliament to pass a series of Appropriation Bills. Passing these Bills is essential to keeping Government operating, as without the relevant appropriation there will be no funding for key state functions, such as hospitals, law enforcement and other essential services.”
Eskom said this request was made possible by large power consumers in South Africa agreeing to reduce their consumption for this period of time.
Loadshedding woes are not nearly over for the weekend though – Stage 2 will resume from 5pm on Friday and continue through to Sunday, 6 June at 10pm.
The power utility warned that their generators remain constrained and South Africans should use electricity sparingly during winter to avoid further cuts.
South Africans were not happy, and took to Twitter to vent their frustrations. Some questioned how suddenly there is power when Government calls upon it, but what about the people of South Africa who pay top dollar for power?
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