MBABANE (2 August 2025): Load shedding has been suspended on weekends, with effect from this morning. The Eswatini Electricity Company (EEC) yesterday issued a new schedule that for the first time excluded Saturday and Sunday from load shedding. The move aligns with the end of the winter cold weather and the onset of spring this week.
EEC started load shedding during peak morning and evening hours in June for the first time in history to respond to heavy domestic electricity use as homes switch on heaters to keep warm. Until then load shedding was unheard of in Eswatini even though in neighbouring South African where Eswatini buys electricity, it has been a constant nightmare for the past five years. Eswatini buys the bulk of her winter electricity from South Africa’s ESKOM because hydro electricity generation radically declines due to low river levels.
Since June, EEC has switched off electricity for an hour in the morning and one and a half hours in the evening. EEC says this is an effort to maintain system stability and prevent system collapse. In July EEC says it installed additional feeders to thje load management schedule due to demand exceeding safe operational limits.
“We strongly encourage all customers to shift shift their electrity usage away from peak periods, specifically 6:00 – 08:00 am and 5:00 to 8.00 pm on weekdays.” EEC says while load managemernt is not guaranteed, it will be implemented depending on the overall system demand.
Load shedding is generally a last resort implemented by the grid management to prevent collapse of the national power grid. Amidst the energy crisis, it’s become necessary to provide a solution for insufficient power station capacity by redistributing power from selected areas so everyone can use electricity for at least part of the day.
When the electrical demand is too high, load shedding prevents an imbalanced national electrical grid. It has helped to avoid a country-wide blackout that could take days or weeks to restore.
jm/today/2.08. 2025
