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Every South African is all too familiar with “rolling blackouts” — you just know them by a different name.
In most parts of the world, scheduled power outages are a relatively rare occurrence…
In South Africa, they’ve become an unfortunate part of everyday life known as load-shedding.
Read on to find out more about why rolling blackouts have become commonplace for South Africans, the reasons behind load-shedding, and the outlook for the future.
(Source: Eskom)
What Are Rolling Blackouts?
Rolling blackouts are power outages scheduled by utilities or electricity providers designed to reduce strain on the energy grid during specified time periods.
Infrequent in most of the world, rolling blackouts are typically a response to unusual spikes in demand caused by extreme weather or aging infrastructure.
In South Africa, though, load-shedding — Eskom’s term for a rolling blackout — has occurred regularly since 2007.
(Source: BusinessTech)
However, 2024 marked a significant improvement. Eskom implemented a Generation Recovery Plan, leading to a stable power supply and the suspension of load-shedding for 261 consecutive days by December 13, 2024.
Despite these advancements, challenges persist. In early 2025, Eskom had to implement Stage 3 load-shedding due to unexpected failures at key plants, resulting in a shortfall of 2,700 megawatts. While the situation has improved compared to 2023, ongoing efforts are essential to maintain and further enhance grid stability.
How Long Do Rolling Blackouts Last?
Due to extreme weather events and aging infrastructure, unscheduled blackouts are increasing worldwide.
However, rolling blackouts are rare for much of the globe and usually last a few weeks or a month at the most.
For example, rolling blackouts may be instituted in hot climates during the summer months when the demand for electricity for air conditioning, etc, threatens to cause an extended widespread power outage.
South Africa is the only developed economy where load-shedding has become a way of life.
(Source: Eskom)
The duration and timing of rolling blackouts in South Africa are determined by the stages of load-shedding — with Stage One being the least disruptive and Stage 8 being the worst. In April 2024, a Stage 16 load-shedding code was introduced by Nersa to reduce human error during load-shedding allocation.
Eskom implemented Stage 3 load-shedding from 14:00 on March 7, 2025, to 05:00 on March 10, 2025, following a loss of 2,700MW in capacity. This included issues with Koeberg Unit 2 and two Kusile units affected by coal supply problems. Despite the load-shedding, Eskom stated that power supply availability remains at 98%. CEO Dan Marokane described the load-shedding as “a painful reminder of the past” while emphasizing that structural improvements will help reduce future blackouts.
Why Is South Africa Having an Electricity Crisis?
Bloomberg News blamed South Africa’s electricity crisis on “old and poorly maintained power stations run by [a] debt-stricken state utility Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd [that] can’t keep up with demand.
“Impossible promises” by ANC officials to address the ongoing electricity crisis that’s resulted in years of rolling blackouts have failed to pan out.
Load-shedding has become such a political liability that media outlets like News24 and the BBC have predicted that the ANC could lose a federal election for the first time since it came to power in 1994.
Justice Minister Ronald Lamola said, “Electricity affects everything, economic growth, our ability to create jobs — all of that is dependent on electricity… Stabilizing supply before the vote is the top concern of the ANC.”
Despite the failure to increase the output of power plants that burn fossil fuels sufficiently to meet demand, the ANC has proven resistant to embracing renewable energy.
A tax credit scheme to incentivise individual purchases of residential solar panels was launched in 2023, but the R15M cap on savings limited its effectiveness.
On an infrastructure level, the recently proposed “roadmap for the future of electricity in South Africa” — the draft Integrated Resource Plan — has been called “a major disappointment” and a “shoddy… admission of failure” that doesn’t adequately address the ongoing electricity crisis.
The proposal relies on building “6,000MW of new gas-fired power stations by 2030.” Opponents cite the severe environmental impact of burning more fossil fuels and the inevitability of “major delays and cost overruns.”
Critics also claim that the proposal significantly overestimates the cost of harvesting plentiful solar power and abundant wind.
According to The Conversation: “It is… inexplicable that the ministry’s team has concluded that the ‘Renewable Energy’ scenario is by far the most expensive.”
(Source: Codera)
Short & Long-Term Impacts of the South African Electricity Crisis
If you live in South Africa, you don’t need to be told what a nightmare load-shedding has been for everybody.
A recent SARS research paper states, “Since the beginning of load-shedding one decade ago, the level of life of South Africans has never been the same again.”
Aside from the devastating impact of rolling blackouts on the day-to-day lives of South African people and companies, what are the long and short-term effects on the country and its economy?
Here’s a handful of data points.
Short-term Impacts
- Power cuts have already begun and are expected to continue, Reduced productivity, higher operational costs for businesses, and revenue losses for SMEs due to frequent power outages.
- Rising expenses for households and businesses relying on alternative energy sources like generators.
Long-term Impacts
- According to Daily Maverick:“Most economists believe that from 2009 to 2023, the 14-year systemic failure has cost the country more than R3-trillion.”
- Lost jobs
- Failed businesses
- Loss of investor confidence
- “The downgrading of South Africa from investment grade sovereign risk to junk status, ‘in no small measure’ due to power shortages, rolling blackouts and policy failures… alone exceeds R3-trillion to R5-trillion.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Eskom officials claim there is little chance of a “total grid collapse” in South Africa — partially due to the effectiveness of load-shedding measures. Despite rolling blackouts reaching record highs in 2023, these are due to a lack of overall capacity, and the possibility of a system-wide failure remains remote. Independent experts concur, citing six safeguards that are in place against a nationwide power outage.
Final Thoughts
No South African will deny the devastating impact of rolling blackouts — load-shedding — on society.
Both on a personal and national level, 15+ years of energy insecurity has taken a vicious toll on the country.
Although it is predicted that this year may not be as bad as previous years, load-shedding appears to be here to stay — at least for the foreseeable future.
While a national solution remains elusive, solutions are available to you and your family. For example, the EcoFlow RIVER 2 Portable Power Station offers a compact and efficient way to keep your essential devices powered during outages. With a 256Wh capacity and 300W output, it can easily power small appliances, lights, and even your TV for several hours. Its fast-charging capability ensures that you can quickly recharge it between outages, making it an ideal solution for households dealing with frequent load-shedding.
