City Power Resolves Load Shedding Woes with New 4-hour Blocks

As Johannesburg grapples with the challenges of load shedding, residents have faced their fair share of power interruptions. One of the major criticisms has been the erratic and inconvenient 2-hour power blocks, which have led to several outages in quick succession, causing frustration and uncertainty among consumers. However, a significant development from City Power, the city’s power utility, promises to ease this issue by reverting to 4-hour load shedding blocks during higher stages.

City Power, which took over certain areas previously handled by Eskom at the end of 2023, initially implemented 2-hour power blocks. This decision was undertaken to minimize the impact on residents and businesses but soon backfired when higher stages of load shedding were necessitated. As a result, people sometimes experienced up to 10 hours of load shedding per day during Stage 6.

Reacting to the outcry from its customers, City Power conducted an internal review that concluded the 2-hour blocks were more disruptive than anticipated when load shedding moved to Stages 5 to 8. Understanding the inconvenience caused to Johannesburg residents, the utility has decided to bring back the 4-hour blocks that were previously used by Eskom. This change aims to tackle what has been described as the '2-hour block problem' while providing consumers with more extended periods without load shedding disruptions.

The return to 4-hour power blocks is set to offer improved predictability, enabling residents and businesses to plan accordingly. According to the latest update from City Power on the social platform X (formerly Twitter), this schedule change is designed to allow the city's residents to "enjoy extended periods without load shedding."

The revised schedule is already in effect, and residents can access the new timetables by visiting the provided online links. These updates and a move toward better power management come as a relief to many, reflecting City Power's commitment to addressing the load shedding crisis and enhancing service delivery. Johannesburg's official power utility assures that this transition to 4-hour load shedding blocks will resolve the problem in its entirety and relieve the city from the frequent outages that have plagued the metropolitan region.

Meanwhile, to keep residents informed and connected, City Power has also encouraged people to follow their updates on different social platforms and join their WhatsApp channel for the latest news and service notifications.