STATEMENT BY THE EXECUTIVE MAYOR, ALDERMAN PATRICIA DE LILLE

Capetonians urged to conserve electricity as Eskom warns of possible load-shedding

Eskom has officially informed the City of Cape Town that, due to its inability to meet the rising high demand for electricity throughout the country, there is the possibility that Cape Town may experience load-shedding in the next few weeks.

The risk of load-shedding has been exacerbated by on-going maintenance works that Eskom has undertaken as it grapples with the task of boosting capacity to supply electricity to avoid sustained power outages.

As the round of load-shedding in 2008 revealed, the process of load-shedding is a difficult one. Sustained power outages would be an inconvenient and adverse disruption of our daily and economic lives, to say nothing of the social impact.

However, as responsible citizens, we can all do our part to either avoid or mitigate the negative impact that load-shedding would have on our country by reducing our use of electricity.

I urge all Capetonians to do everything possible to use electricity prudently during this period to relieve the heavy burden on our power supply so that we can avoid power outages.

Simple acts such as switching off all unused electrical appliances or using alternative energy means will go a long way towards conserving electricity.

Eskom has assured me that they are putting measures in place in an effort to avoid load-shedding.

Meanwhile, our collective acts of compromise as responsible citizens could be the difference between blackouts and keeping the lights on in the next few weeks and beyond.

We must all play our part.

Statement issued by Solly Malatsi, Spokesperson for the Executive Mayor of Cape Town, Patricia de Lille, January 10 2012

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