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Home » South Africa » South Africa’s Loadshedding Is The Bane Of My Existence…
South Africa

South Africa’s Loadshedding Is The Bane Of My Existence…

Matthew Klint Posted onDecember 12, 2022November 13, 2023 20 Comments

a large factory with smoke stacks

You may have noticed last week that my blogging was more limited and also delayed. South Africa’s energy crisis and constant loadshedding was to blame…and I’ll never take steady power for granted again.

Loadshedding In South Africa…It Makes Blogging Tough!

Eskom, once a highly-respected net exporter of energy, is the public utility providing electricity in South Africa. In 2008, it introduced loadshedding, planned rolling blackouts during periods in which demand exceeded supply. While Eskom has attempted to expand to meet increased demands and plans a massive new nuclear power facility, loadsheeding continues this summer in South Africa and has been severe. Although many complexities are in effect, corruption and mismanagement are two key problems.

I spent the last 10 days in South Africa. South Africa has grown over the last couple years to be one of my favorite countries in the world and I love so much about the country…but the loadshedding is absolutely maddening.

I spent last week at a farm outside of Middelburg and the loadshedding was so severe that the power was out more often than it was on during the daylight hours. Although the farm had a generator that kicked on immediately when the power went out, during loadshedding the cell phone tower was off (I was roaming on MTN), meaning no internet or phone signal.

At times, the signal would return for brief 15-minute periods before going out again.

In Johannesburg, where I spent the final night of my trip, the entire city went dark at about 8:00 pm. It was eerie driving through the streets with most lights off.

It is what it is…as I said, this is a complex issue…but with stage six shutting down power at such predictable times, it is even easier for thugs to steal cables without fear of being electrocuted. That makes the problem even worse.

It’s a sad development.

CONCLUSION

Folks, I’m sorry about the irregular postings…loadshedding in South Africa is to blame.

Ukraine has been forced to introduce rolling blackouts due to Russia’s strategic destruction of energy sites but such blackouts have been a regular occurrence for more than a decade in South Africa (and in other nations, of course, but not in wealthier nations like South Africa).

If you’re in South Africa, especially if you are outside a major city, prepare for periods without internet or mobile phone coverage When it happens so often throughout the day, your productivity is decimated.

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About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

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20 Comments

  1. NB Reply
    December 12, 2022 at 7:40 am

    Try living in Northern California where we regularly have multi day blackouts because the local utility (PG&E) can’t safely operate its cables when high winds are forecast. This year was not so bad, but 2018-2021 had >10 days of no power each year. On a par with South Africa but fewer excuses.

    • Dave Edwards Reply
      December 12, 2022 at 8:44 am

      I may be wrong, but aren’t the blackouts during high winds in Northern CA/NV used as a deterrent to fires from downed lines, as opposed to a shortage of power?

  2. Dave Edwards Reply
    December 12, 2022 at 8:42 am

    “ such blackouts have been a regular occurrence for more than a decade in South Africa ”

    It’s almost like social change took a wealthy nation and turned it into a 3rd world sh#thole.

    No one would argue SA should have kept the status quo of Apartheid, but there is always a cost to the “equality” that the far left is fighting for in America. And many fringe leftists see blackouts and less energy usage as a good thing.

    • Richard Reply
      December 12, 2022 at 2:10 pm

      it was not a wealthy nation in 1990..
      on PPP gdp per capita has doubled since the early 90s..
      Not that corruption isnt a problem but you try running an electricity company with the level of theft & unpaid bills ESKOM has to deal with (and politically has to accept, probably not wholly unreasonably either)

  3. Sean M. Reply
    December 12, 2022 at 9:13 am

    I find it amusing when South Africans grumble about their stage-6 load shedding. In most parts of Africa, having power for that long is an unimaginable luxury.

    My home/office here in Malawi has a 1.45kVA inverter with 4 x 12V 160Ah batteries (2 banks of 24V connected in parallel). It’s a simple and relatively inexpensive solution that stores enough power to run key appliances when power goes off. I often don’t even notice when load-shedding hits, unless the aircon needs to be reset.

  4. Koggerj Reply
    December 12, 2022 at 10:17 am

    South Africa is turning into a new Zimbabwe.

  5. Passive Poster Reply
    December 12, 2022 at 11:09 am

    Yeah stage 6 loadshedding is a nightmare because you’re hitting periods where the power can be out for 4 hours at a time multiple times a day. It’s difficult to be productive unless you’ve got multiple power banks charged up and ready to go. At least with stage 4 or lower it’s only out for two hours at a time.

    Regardless, planning your day around the daily loadshedding schedule is just a way of life.

  6. jcil Reply
    December 12, 2022 at 12:23 pm

    Get used to it. Many climate change fanatics are quite honest about the fact that relying 100% on renewable energy will change future electric service from 24/7/365 availability to an as-available service. When the wind is blowing and the sun is out you can have electricity. When it’s not–too bad, that’s the life you will have.

  7. Mr G Reply
    December 12, 2022 at 12:40 pm

    Switzerland just been telling everyone who got an electric car that they won’t be able to charge them. That worked out really well didn’t it. And this is planned for the rest of the world sooner or later. Glad I won’t be here at the end of this century. The whole world is going downhill.

    • DC Reply
      December 12, 2022 at 3:02 pm

      Um, no. They did not. They asked people to charge their cars at non- peak demand times a few months ago. They currently have draft measures to limit electric charging and use IF generation supplies get disrupted due to the Ukraine crisis. Everything using natural gas will have conservation limits in this report, not just electric car charging. So unless you are arguing that electric cars cause war- related natural gas supply disruptions…. nice try.
      But I’m sure you actually read the Swiss draft report, and didn’t just regurgitate the Fox news headline, right?

      Not sure what’s going on with the commenters again today. Finding any excuse to grumble about adding alternate power sources to the mix because some talk radio host likes getting y’all riled up.

      • Koggerj Reply
        December 12, 2022 at 9:59 pm

        Maybe you should watch Fox news you might actually be more informed and not sound like a lefty moron.

        The above poster is correct.

        • 747always Reply
          December 12, 2022 at 10:28 pm

          As opposed to Fox News viewers who simply are morons

  8. PM Reply
    December 12, 2022 at 1:19 pm

    I did experience load shedding during a recent visit to Cape Town. My relatively unremarkable 4* hotel seemed to cope fine with the changeover between mains and generators, and I didn’t notice any issues with mobile phone/data service either.

    • simmonad Reply
      December 12, 2022 at 2:35 pm

      Same in Nigeria (Abuja and Lagos this year). We still had internet access when the hotels switched to auxiliary diesel generators.

    • jcil Reply
      December 12, 2022 at 2:47 pm

      What are the chances that future governments (that have shutdown all coal, natural gas, and nuke plants mind you) will allow private companies and average folks to fire up the gasoline or diesel generators when the green electric power is not available? Our civilized society seems to have a death wish.

      • DC Reply
        December 13, 2022 at 8:39 am

        I actually do check Fox news from time to time. It’s more opinion than news, but I like to get other viewpoints.
        Then I fact check and see where they get it wrong. Unlike you

        So- can you cite the actual energy proposal I referenced? Can you point out exactly where what I wrote is incorrect by reviewing the proposal?

        Didn’t think so. You know, saying the factually incorrect thing again without evidence or support doesn’t make you right. Just ignorant.

        • DC Reply
          December 13, 2022 at 8:39 am

          Jeil, not in response to you. In response to KroggerJ

  9. Koggerj Reply
    December 12, 2022 at 9:59 pm

    Just Like Californa.

  10. Matthewis Cliton Reply
    December 13, 2022 at 3:14 am

    What a waste of time, you wrote a post about how you hate your life because loadshedding doesn’t allow you to blog. God….wake up.

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      December 13, 2022 at 9:21 am

      Thanks for your click.

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