![INSIDE ESKOM'S CONTROL ROOM INSIDE ESKOM'S CONTROL ROOM](https://cdn.magzter.com/1359122596/1682491859/articles/xWxtBhu6U1682598764090/INSIDE-ESKOMS-CONTROL-ROOM.jpg)
HOW many electrical engineers does it take to keep South Africa’s lights on?
It’s not a trick question or a joke – the short answer is six.
And those six engineers play an important role. They’re the ones who run the main control room at the Eskom National Control Centre in Germiston, Gauteng. In other words, they’re the people who make sure loadshedding schedules run according to plan and that we don’t get plunged into perpetual darkness.
For 12 hours a day they each monitor and control how loadshedding rolls out across the country to ensure things run smoothly. Then a new six-person team arrives to start their 12-hour shift, explains Isabel Fick, the general manager of Eskom’s system controls team.
“What we do is balance supply and demand on the network,” Isabel tells YOU.
We’re chatting to her at the heart of loadshedding operations and she shares how things work behind the scenes to ensure there’s not a total collapse of the grid, which would be catastrophic.
Isabel’s team is responsible for making sure that when the lights go out, they also come back on again.
“The system is updated every four seconds. We have different desks where we monitor supply and demand.
“When it’s not in balance, that’s our indicator of things going wrong,” she explains.
Even though loadshedding is executed at municipal level, the control room is where the decision to implement it is made and where the stages are determined.
The team is, of course, bigger than just the six people manning the desks at the main centre.
Esta historia es de la edición 4 May 2023 de YOU South Africa.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición 4 May 2023 de YOU South Africa.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
![ONE OF A KIND ONE OF A KIND](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/2448/1993366/Ly6I1d9K_1739590184597/ONE-OF-A-KIND.jpg)
ONE OF A KIND
She survived a violent stepfather and being raped by a bandmate as well as rampant showbiz sexism. Now as singer Cyndi Lauper heads off on her farewell tour aged 71, she just wants to have fun
![TRUE TO HIS ROOTS TRUE TO HIS ROOTS](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/2448/1993366/pPhfD6rGR1739601705909/TRUE-TO-HIS-ROOTS.jpg)
TRUE TO HIS ROOTS
Rap icon Kendrick Lamar's recent Grammy haul has cemented his status as the king of hip-hop
![RYAN'S ON A ROLLI RYAN'S ON A ROLLI](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/2448/1993366/zQx3B8Bas1739589357799/RYANS-ON-A-ROLLI.jpg)
RYAN'S ON A ROLLI
Ryan Rickelton has taken the cricket scene by storm, announcing himself as a force to be reckoned with
![PARALYMPICS, HERE I COME! PARALYMPICS, HERE I COME!](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/2448/1993366/vURGbAyKA1739589690582/PARALYMPICS-HERE-I-COME.jpg)
PARALYMPICS, HERE I COME!
He lost his left leg as a baby, but these days Nicklaas is a star on the athletics field and he's got big dreams
![KEKE'S KICKING IT! KEKE'S KICKING IT!](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/2448/1993366/SLVg9uFp81739589005096/KEKES-KICKING-IT.jpg)
KEKE'S KICKING IT!
From child star to Hollywood powerhouse - Keke Palmer shines as an actress, podcast host and film producer
![NEXT CHAPTER LOADING NEXT CHAPTER LOADING](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/2448/1993366/neUd0xXj_1739588445786/NEXT-CHAPTER-LOADING.jpg)
NEXT CHAPTER LOADING
Werner Wessels, the creative force behind many Miss SA winners, is stepping away from pageants to embrace new opportunities
![BABY SHAME GAME BABY SHAME GAME](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/2448/1993366/Hap82bMeJ1739578929260/BABY-SHAME-GAME.jpg)
BABY SHAME GAME
Lily Collins got a lot more than she bargained for when she announced she'd become a mom via a surrogate
![BRIDGET'S BACK! BRIDGET'S BACK!](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/2448/1993366/ZCB2NIKcn1739577388955/BRIDGETS-BACK.jpg)
BRIDGET'S BACK!
Renée Zellweger returns for the fourth and possibly final outing of Helen Fielding's ditsy cult heroine, a role she has relished from day one
![I CAN BREATHE AGAIN' I CAN BREATHE AGAIN'](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/2448/1993366/Seiv5Z5k01739577780955/I-CAN-BREATHE-AGAIN.jpg)
I CAN BREATHE AGAIN'
After months of legal hell, two aneurysms and brain surgery, Alison Botha is relieved that her attackers are back behind bars and she can focus on getting better
![SA IN TRUMP'S SIGHTS SA IN TRUMP'S SIGHTS](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/2448/1993366/ELjBe4OTh1739578302252/SA-IN-TRUMPS-SIGHTS.jpg)
SA IN TRUMP'S SIGHTS
With Elon Musk whispering in his ear the US president has unleashed his wrath on South Africa. But how worried should we be?