State-owned power utility Eskom said on Wednesday it would implement nationwide rolling blackouts from 9am to 11pm, citing a shortage of capacity.
In a notice posted on its Twitter account, Eskom said it would effect "stage 2" loadshedding, which involves suppressing 2,000MW of demand at any given time to avoid tripping the national power grid.
#PowerAlert1 : Stage 2 loadshedding from 9:00 today pic.twitter.com/zDcjgjAGh9
— Eskom Hld SOC Ltd (@Eskom_SA) October 16, 2019
Cash-strapped Eskom, which was forced to impose loadshedding earlier this year as it struggled to meet demand, said last Friday the National Energy Regulator of South Africa's decision in March to award it lower annual tariff increases through to 2021/2022 than it had applied for, had worsened its financial sustainability.
South African municipalities also owe the entity billions of rand in unpaid bills, adding on to Eskom's woes which critics have largely blamed on mismanagment and corruption.