Eskom has firmly rejected recent reports claiming that South Africans should brace for a 14-hour power outage in June 2025.
Eskom calls ‘imminent’ 14-hour loadshedding fake news
The power utility labelled the claims “completely untrue” and urged the public to rely on official updates to avoid spreading panic.
In a public statement, Eskom said:
“There are no planned outages of this scale. Loadshedding remains suspended since 22:00 on 15 May 2025, and the power system is stable.”
The utility added that misinformation causes unnecessary alarm and asked people to verify facts before sharing unverified content.
This clarification follows a viral online rumour suggesting major cities in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, and the Western Cape would face extended power cuts.
Eskom dismissed the message as fake, with no basis in their winter planning or current operations.
What is the latest state of the power system?
According to Eskom’s 16 May 2025 power update, the system is currently stable but constrained.
Unplanned outages, which refer to breakdowns or unexpected failures at power stations, have increased to 14,310MW.
Despite this, available generation capacity was 28,548MW, nearly matching the projected peak demand of 28,523MW.
Eskom noted a slight improvement in unplanned outage levels compared to last year. The utility has managed to bring back significant generation capacity and expected an additional 2,650MW to return ahead of the evening peak on Monday, 19 May 2025.
Diesel usage for backup power has been high, with R2.85 billion spent so far this financial year to keep Open-Cycle Gas Turbines running, though usage is expected to decline as more units return to service.
Electricity Minister in the Presidency, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, addressed the power situation on Wednesday, 14 May 2025. While acknowledging the setback caused by delayed maintenance, he stated that the country has moved beyond “structural loadshedding.”
“During this winter we’re going to have the benefit of all the Koeberg units by July,” Ramokgopa said.
Eskom CEO responds
Eskom CEO Dan Marokane reinforced the view that the overall winter plan remains valid. He attributed recent Stage 2 loadshedding—implemented from 13 to 15 May—to delays in returning units from maintenance.
“We’re below the planned maintenance target, but we’re not seeing the benefit because of slippages,” he explained.
Both Ramokgopa and Marokane made it clear that although the grid remains under pressure, the outlook for winter is manageable if unplanned outages are kept under control.
Eskom will provide another system update on Friday, 23 May 2025.
