Load Shedding Stages Explained

Last updated: January 28, 2026

What does Stage 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, or 8 load shedding mean? How many hours you'll be without power at each stage.

Quick answer: higher stages mean longer and more frequent outages. Load shedding stages indicate how much electricity Eskom needs to cut from the national grid. Each stage removes approximately 1,000 MW of demand. The higher the stage, the more often and longer your power will be off.

All Stages Explained

stage	megawatts	hours Per Day	frequency	impact
Stage 1	1,000 MW	2 hours	Once every 2-3 days	Minimal
Stage 2	2,000 MW	4 hours	Once daily	Noticeable
Stage 3	3,000 MW	6 hours	1-2x daily	Significant
Stage 4	4,000 MW	8 hours	2x daily	Major disruption
Stage 5	5,000 MW	10 hours	2-3x daily	Severe
Stage 6	6,000 MW	12 hours	3x daily	Critical
Stage 7	7,000 MW	14 hours	3-4x daily	Emergency
Stage 8	8,000 MW	16 hours	4x daily	Crisis

stageStage 1

megawatts1,000 MW

hours Per Day2 hours

frequencyOnce every 2-3 days

impactMinimal

stageStage 2

megawatts2,000 MW

hours Per Day4 hours

frequencyOnce daily

impactNoticeable

stageStage 3

megawatts3,000 MW

hours Per Day6 hours

frequency1-2x daily

impactSignificant

stageStage 4

megawatts4,000 MW

hours Per Day8 hours

frequency2x daily

impactMajor disruption

stageStage 5

megawatts5,000 MW

hours Per Day10 hours

frequency2-3x daily

impactSevere

stageStage 6

megawatts6,000 MW

hours Per Day12 hours

frequency3x daily

impactCritical

stageStage 7

megawatts7,000 MW

hours Per Day14 hours

frequency3-4x daily

impactEmergency

stageStage 8

megawatts8,000 MW

hours Per Day16 hours

frequency4x daily

impactCrisis

Practical Impact

What each stage means for your daily life:

Stage 1-2: Minor inconvenience, easily managed
Stage 3-4: Need backup for work from home, food spoilage risk
Stage 5-6: Serious disruption, backup power essential, business impact
Stage 7-8: Crisis level, extended power off, all activities affected

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Backup Recommendations by Stage

stage	minimum Backup	recommended
Stage 1-2	LED torch, charged devices	Inverter trolley
Stage 3-4	Inverter trolley	5kWh battery system
Stage 5-6	5kWh battery system	10kWh + solar
Stage 7-8	10kWh + solar	15kWh+ or generator backup

stageStage 1-2

minimum BackupLED torch, charged devices

recommendedInverter trolley

stageStage 3-4

minimum BackupInverter trolley

recommended5kWh battery system

stageStage 5-6

minimum Backup5kWh battery system

recommended10kWh + solar

stageStage 7-8

minimum Backup10kWh + solar

recommended15kWh+ or generator backup

Price Disclaimer: Prices shown were verified on 29 January 2026. Prices may change without notice. We earn affiliate commissions on qualifying purchases.

All prices are in South African Rand (ZAR) unless otherwise stated. Shipping costs may apply depending on your location.

Check Your Schedule Solutions What is Load Shedding

Load Shedding Stages FAQs

Stage 6 means Eskom needs to cut 6,000 MW from the grid. For you, this typically means 12 hours without power per day, usually in 3 x 4-hour blocks or 4 x 3-hour blocks. It's considered critical level and was rare until 2022.

Stage 8 has been implemented briefly in December 2022 and several times in 2023. It means 16+ hours without power per day. The grid comes very close to total collapse at Stage 8, which is why it's used as absolute last resort.

Load shedding is controlled, rotating power outages implemented by Eskom when electricity demand exceeds supply. Different areas are switched off in stages (1-8) for 2-4 hours at a time according to published schedules.

Use the EskomSePush app (most popular), your municipality's website, or Eskom's loadshedding page. Enter your suburb or block number to see your specific schedule.

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