The town of Frankfort managed to keep the lights on by buying solar power from a private producer - until Eskom said no. Residents and local businesses say this is not acceptable.
The companies are keeping a close eye on the dispute between Free State private electricity distributor Rural Maintenance and Eskom over the use of alternative power to avoid load shedding. The matter has already been heard in court.
Electricity minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa has once again moved to allay fears of a total grid collapse amid worsening stages of load shedding, insisting that is "highly unlikely".
President Cyril Ramaphosa has hinted to parliament what minister of electricity Kgosientsho Ramokgopa’s responsibilities will be - and procurement will not be one of them.
Electricity minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa has announced Eskom will spend about R30bn in the current financial year as it tries to mitigate the severity of load-shedding.