As strange as it may sound to us, since the sun shines almost all year round: but there is a shortage of electricity in South Africa. To relieve the national power infrastructure, the term 'Load Shedding' is known even to the smallest children in South Africa. Hard to believe with so much sunshine, but: South Africa has a major power shortage.
Prepare yourself for not being able to charge your phone, laptop, or camera during these times. The EskomSePush App (Google | Apple) is also useful, which keeps you informed about everything.
Good News: No Power Outages Since March 2024
Crazy, shortly after my departure in March, I read that South Africa is getting a grip on the problem and they are no longer planning load shedding. As of December 2024: It really seems that there have been no scheduled outages anymore. Since I will be back in South Africa in two weeks, I will keep you updated. It would be wonderful for the people if they finally rely on solar energy and have enough electricity!
- Electricity is scarce in South Africa. The grid is dilapidated and is only slowly being modernized. Too slowly for the power consumption occurring across the country.
- Load shedding literally means: load dropping. This means for South Africa that power is switched off in certain areas at specific and predetermined times.
- The power is shut down according to a set schedule, depending on the current power demand. Never spontaneously.
- Sometimes these power outages happen just once, sometimes up to three times a day for up to 4 hours.
- Due to overloading of the power grid in South Africa, the state-owned power company Eskom wants to prevent a complete blackout.
What Does Load Shedding Mean
However, it is whispered behind closed doors that this way the population, which cannot afford it, is to be kept small. Because everyone else has made provisions and owns power banks or larger batteries to store electricity.
This is what the app looks like when there are planned outages. That seems to now be a thing of the past!
Background on Load Shedding
In 2008, load shedding was introduced in South Africa for the first time due to energy shortages. There are many reasons why there are problems. One of the main reasons is that there is not enough power. Added to this are unexpected repairs and delays in modernizing outdated power plants and expanding renewable energy sources. The planned power outages were supposed to end by at least March 2024. But no change.
Update: Just after our departure, the outages ended and have not occurred since! So cool.
Solution in Sight? Not Really
The South African government has taken measures to address the issue of energy shortages and the resulting load shedding. This includes investments in expanding electricity generation capacity, modernizing power plants, and promoting renewable energy. More and more businesses and individuals are taking responsibility and investing in solar power systems and generators.
However, as we were told, private installations are not permitted everywhere. Friends on the Garden Route were forbidden to install their own solar systems on the roof. Others were allowed to do so. It borders on arbitrariness from the state or region.
In Stellenbosch and the Winelands, large generators are present in the cities so that restaurants and shops do not have to interrupt their daily business.
My Tips for Dealing with Power Outages in South Africa
Download the ESP - EskomSePush App to your phone before your trip to South Africa: (Google | Apple), which informs you about times of planned power outages. You can enable notifications to keep you informed of any changes. This happens frequently. Most apartments do not have a generator, only hotels do.
Inform yourself before and during your stay about the planned load shedding times. Plan your activities accordingly, or go (in Cape Town) to eat in a different neighborhood where power is currently available. No power, no hot food and no coffee.
You can check when load shedding is scheduled in your vacation area in South Africa, and find more information: https://loadshedding.eskom.co.za/
Rechargeable lamps: What you will find everywhere are lamps that you can charge. This way you always have light. You do not need a flashlight. However, I always carry a headlamp when I plan to go into national parks and participate in night game drives.
Before going to sleep or when the power goes out in the evening: turn off all the lights. Otherwise, you will have an 'awakening' when the power comes back on and you suddenly find yourself in a brightly lit bedroom. That happened to me once (and never again).
Driving during load shedding: All traffic lights are out! In many cases, traffic lights do not work during load shedding. This is often chaotic in Cape Town and Johannesburg. Then the '4-way-stop' system applies, which you might be familiar with from the USA. The vehicle that arrives at the intersection first has the right of way. It works, although it can be exciting at large intersections.
Gas stations, supermarkets, and restaurants often have their own generators, so you shouldn't notice any restrictions here. However, small shops or cafes may not be able to offer all services or may even be closed during load shedding.
Hotels, guesthouses, and other accommodations generally have emergency generators that provide electricity to their guests during load shedding. However, if you book an apartment through Airbnb, there may not be a generator available. This is particularly annoying when you want to have your coffee in the morning and there is no power (as happened in Cape Town). You can check this, as there are always notes about it in the listings.
Bring a power bank (or ask your accommodation if they have one available). In almost all accommodations we had larger battery-operated generators so that we could charge our phones. However, many of these generators do not work for kettles or coffee machines.
- In general: Load shedding can be frustrating - for South Africans, it has become part of everyday life. As a tourist, you will probably not be heavily restricted by the planned blackouts. Nevertheless, it is advisable to try to remain patient and flexible in your planning. Charging your phone in advance and carrying a power bank with you is also always a good idea.
Electricity & Voltage
The voltage is 220 volts like ours. However, you will need a three-prong adapter. You can get one upon entry (Vodacom Store) or beforehand at Amazon. In many accommodations at the Cape, you can now also use our plugs normally. More and more hotels or holiday rental owners are installing our outlets alongside the South African ones. Or there are already 1-2 adapters available. This is, however, not the norm.
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