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Johannesburg – Energy Minister Dipuo Peters recommended going easy on power consumption to keep up the run of no power cuts during the 2010 soccer World Cup, as a cold snap set in on Tuesday.
With temperatures plummeting countrywide, Peters said the "positive outcome" so far could be attributed to good preparations and communities' active participation in energy efficiency initiatives.
"We therefore urge our communities and the public at large to continuously reduce their consumption of electricity, and thus ensuring that Eskom and other role-players are able to keep the lights on," she said in a statement.
She reminded cable thieves that not only were they endangering lives, but they would find themselves in trouble with the law.
Before the World Cup, Eskom said powering the games would require 275 MW more than the country's normal winter requirements. This would be covered by imports from Mozambique, Lesotho and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
In 2007 and until March 2008 Eskom was criticised for a series of rolling blackouts – rotated electricity supplies – because the country's electricity infrastructure was unable to cope with the demand.
All World Cup stadiums, except Rustenburg's Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace, would get their power from municipalities, which bought from Eskom.
Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace would get power directly from the utility.
Eskom usually asked people to switch off appliances not in use, lights in empty rooms, and find ways of cutting power consumption by at least 10%.
With temperatures plummeting countrywide, Peters said the "positive outcome" so far could be attributed to good preparations and communities' active participation in energy efficiency initiatives.
"We therefore urge our communities and the public at large to continuously reduce their consumption of electricity, and thus ensuring that Eskom and other role-players are able to keep the lights on," she said in a statement.
She reminded cable thieves that not only were they endangering lives, but they would find themselves in trouble with the law.
Before the World Cup, Eskom said powering the games would require 275 MW more than the country's normal winter requirements. This would be covered by imports from Mozambique, Lesotho and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
In 2007 and until March 2008 Eskom was criticised for a series of rolling blackouts – rotated electricity supplies – because the country's electricity infrastructure was unable to cope with the demand.
All World Cup stadiums, except Rustenburg's Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace, would get their power from municipalities, which bought from Eskom.
Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace would get power directly from the utility.
Eskom usually asked people to switch off appliances not in use, lights in empty rooms, and find ways of cutting power consumption by at least 10%.
