Photo by: Bloomberg
It’s important to state upfront that, while extremely depressing, preparing for loadshedding beyond the current eight stages is a responsible thing to do. Any intensification of rotational power cuts beyond Stage 8, possibly to as high as Stage 16, would have devastating consequences for the economy and society. Nevertheless, it is still important that the system operator is equipped for the worst-case scenario, so as to avoid a total blackout, which could leave a city such as Johannesburg (pictured) and the country as a whole without electricity for weeks. Photograph: Bloomberg