The City has activated its Disaster Coordinating Team to manage loadshedding risks, Eskom’s announcement that it is implementing Stage 6 loadshedding.

The City says it is doing all it can to protect critical infrastructure, including its electricity network, safeguard essential basic services and safety operations. Back-up power supply to power some operations are also affected by continuous high stages of loadshedding.

The City is also using its Steenbras Hydro Pumped Station to generate spare capacity to protect critical infrastructure, however it becomes increasingly difficult to generate spare capacity at the highest stages of loadshedding.

The City’s transversal Disaster Operations Centre has been activated to mitigate any potential impact for the residents of Cape Town.

The first priority is to manage traffic flow during the afternoon peak hours, through point-duty at major intersections affected by loadshedding.

A number of intersections have been identified as part of the City’s readiness plan for higher stages of load-shedding and these are manned by Traffic, Metro Police and Law Enforcement officers.

Additional enforcement resources are also being deployed to deal with any public safety issues, or in areas affected by prolonged power outages.

The City appeals to residents to be aware of the loadshedding schedule and to keep the following tips top of mind:

• Access to, and lighting of your home: make sure that batteries for automated gates, garage doors and security systems are able to last through periods of load-shedding. Store temporary lighting such as battery-powered torches, gas lamps and candles in places where they will be easy to find in the dark.

• Make sure that your vehicle always has fuel in the tank as most petrol stations are unable to pump fuel during power outages. Traffic lights that are out and unmanned, should be treated as four-way stops at intersections.

• Ensure that your cell phone, laptop, tablet and radio are always fully charged when power is available. This will allow you to be able to communicate with friends and family during loadshedding.

• Safety around the home: ensure that all non-essential appliances are switched off before loadshedding starts. Take extra care when using open flames or other heat sources for cooking or lighting. Ensure that gates, windows and doors are secured.

The City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, JP Smith says there are numerous potential impacts from these higher stages of loadshedding and while the City is deploying its resources as best it can to mitigate any risks to the public, residents can do their bit by putting safety first, and to be aware of their surroundings at all times.

Loadshedding does unfortunately come with an increased risk of opportunistic crimes like cable theft and smash and grab incidents, so please plan your routes carefully and be very alert when you have to stop at intersections.

Should you witness a crime or a potentially life threatening emergency, please contact the Public Emergency Communication Centre on 021 480 7700 or 107 from a land line.

Eskom called off the planned outage of Koeberg Unit 1 at the eleventh hour on Wednesday night, as the utility scrambled to avoid moving to Stage 7 load shedding.

The power utility confirmed Koeberg Unit 1 would be taken off-line by Thursday afternoon, as it was delayed slightly to allow the system to stabilise.

The power utility has told South Africans they can expect prolonged loadshedding for the next several months.

Capetonians have expressed their frustrations over Stage 6 loadshedding, saying it is affecting their work and personal lives. Small businesses have reported they are worse affected by loadsheddng. 

LISTEN: