South Africans will have Stage 4 load-shedding from 05:00 until midnight every day ‘at least’ until Wednesday and must be prepared for an increase in the stage of load-shedding at short notice, Eskom warns.

The power utility says an unlawful strike has caused a delay in planned maintenance and that workers not reporting for duty has prevented the reduction of unplanned generation losses.  Load-shedding is implemented to safeguard the plant from damage and conserve generation capacity, Eskom says.

Eskom has thanked those employees that have gone ‘beyond the call of duty to keep the lights on’ and has warned that it will consider legal action against union representatives for damage caused or incited.

It says that an ongoing strike may result in further damage and longer delays in returning units to service which will add to the pressure on an already constrained system.

Around 4 000MW is at risk due to the strike,  3 894MW is out on planned maintenance while 15 472MW is unavailable due to breakdowns.

Another 600MW is unavailable due to a line fault in Mozambique currently experienced by the Hydroelectrica de Cahora Bassa (HCB).