Government has dismissed as a hoax a statement that has gone viral, which alleges Eskom notified government that the main grid could possibly crash and plunge the country into darkness for two weeks.

“Government dismisses a hoax statement which [has gone] 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.

“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,” said the Communications Department Acting Director-General, Donald Liphoko, on Tuesday.

Government is confident that the measures it is introducing will ensure the country does not reach a point of a complete blackout.

Liphoko said government is committed to finding a long-lasting solution to address the current energy situation and urged people to refrain from spreading rumours.

Liphoko urged all electricity users, including residential, government, industries and business to ignore the hoax messages. He said 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.