South Africa is facing renewed power challenges following the reintroduction of Stage 6 power cuts (locally called load shedding) by state-owned power utility Eskom. The Democratic Alliance (DA) party, a member of the unity government, has warned that the country cannot afford economic setbacks, especially with ongoing energy instability and potential VAT increases, News24 reported on February 23.

Stage 6 power cuts were enforced early in the morning on February 23, following unexpected Stage 3 load shedding hours before. Implemented by Eskom, Stage 6 load shedding is a severe level of power cuts to prevent a total grid collapse. It means that up to 6,000 megawatts (MW) are shed from the national grid, resulting in power cuts for up to 12 hours a day in affected areas.

Kevin Mileham, DA MP and spokesperson on electricity and energy, expressed concern over Eskom’s lack of transparency. Mileham stated that citizens were led to believe load shedding was a thing of the past, while this was not the case. He emphasised the need to strengthen the economy under the Government of National Unity (GNU) and avoid further disruptions.

According to News24, Eskom attributed the escalation of power outages to multiple unit failures at the Camden Power Station, stating that these measures would continue until further notice. Before this, the country enjoyed ten months without load shedding, aside from brief outages in January.

Mileham also criticised the introduction of the term “load reduction,” arguing that it was simply a rebranding of blackouts. He called on the government to accelerate electricity sector reforms to prevent further economic decline.

Additionally, he urged Eskom to recover outstanding municipal debt, complete the separation of its power generation and transmission divisions, and introduce private sector competition by breaking up its generation arm for privatisation.

GOOD Party secretary-general Brett Herron echoed concerns, stating that the return of severe load shedding proved that South Africa’s electricity crisis remained unresolved. He noted that while a generation recovery plan had provided temporary relief, ageing power plants continued to experience unplanned breakdowns, and new generation capacity had been insufficiently integrated into the grid. Herron warned that ongoing energy volatility would continue to hinder economic growth.

“While the generation recovery plan has been successful in sweating out performance from the existing fleet the return of load shedding reveals that the fleet is vulnerable and a new generation of electricity production must be part of the focus,” Herron said as cited by News24.

According to Sinawo Tambo, national spokesperson for the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), which is not in the unity government, the return to load shedding is no surprise.

“The reality is that this government has consistently failed to provide a steady and reliable supply of electricity, proving once again that they are incapable of solving South Africa’s energy crisis, It is evident that this supposed load shedding-free period was nothing but a manufactured illusion to create a false sense of progress in energy stability,” Tambo was quoted as saying.

He added that his party had long warned that the government had no real intention of resolving the electricity crisis.

“They continue to fail in managing Eskom efficiently, while allowing independent power producers and private companies to dictate the future of energy supply in the country. This is a well-orchestrated scam aimed at enriching a few at the expense of the majority,” he said.