Power utility Eskom says that load shedding will be eased slightly on Friday, sticking to stage 4 all day until further notice.
Stage 4 load shedding will kick in from 05h00 on Friday and continue indefinitely.
Eskom previously had load shedding on stage 4 and stage 5 rotation, moving to the higher stage in the evening.
The group said that it would issue an alert if anything changes – which, given its track record, is likely.
Eskom is struggling with a highly volatile and unpredictable grid, which has resulted in several changes and escalations to the load-shedding schedule this week.
Eskom had initially planned to bring load shedding down to stage 2 and then stage 1 during the day this week, with stage 3 in the evenings – but these plans were scuppered after the sudden breakdown of several units, and delays in returning other units back to service.
Group chair Mpho Makwana has suggested that the power utility might implement a permanent state of load shedding for the next two years to bring some degree of stability to the power situation; however, this was ultimately rejected by the group as even a permanent state of load shedding would not be enough to guarantee that higher stages of load shedding would not occur.
The point is moot, however, as South Africa has been in a state of permanent load shedding since early September 2022, with only a few days where load shedding was temporarily suspended.
Analysts and energy experts have warned that conditions are likely to get worse as the country moves towards winter, with stage 7 or stage 8 load shedding on the cards.