10 February 2015
Government dismisses a hoax statement which is going viral alleging that Eskom has notified government in a special meeting that the main grid could possibly crash and plunge South Africa into darkness for over two weeks.
Acting Director-General of the Department of Communication, Donald Liphoko, said, “South Africans are assured that the country’s energy challenges are receiving priority at the highest level to resolve the situation. The message regarding Eskom is not true and is meant to create unnecessary panic. Load shedding is a controlled and planned method to ensure that the power system is protected from a total blackout. Government is confident that the measures it is introducing will ensure that the country does not reach a point of a complete blackout. ”
Government is committed to finding a long-lasting solution to address the current energy situation and urges people to refrain from spreading rumors. All electricity users, including residential, government, industries and business are urged to ignore the hoax messages. Eskom is the only source of information on issues pertaining to electricity.
“All South Africans are part of the country’s energy solution by adhering to the power alerts during critical periods which help protect the national grid. While it is important to consider all scenarios as part of planning, the national power grid is stringently managed so that we prevent any worst-case scenarios from taking place. Eskom and government will continue communicating with the public on any issues relating power supply,” said Liphoko.
Enquiries:
Donald Liphoko
Cell: 082 901 0766
Issued by: Department of Communications
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