Eskom on Monday announced stage 2 load-shedding. 

In a notice, the power utility said: “Unit five of Medupi power station has just tripped, taking some 700MW capacity with. Regretfully, stage 2 load-shedding has been implemented immediately.” 

Eskom had earlier warned of load-shedding, saying its systems were constrained. It had called on South Africans to reduce their electricity usage.

The power utility said four generation units suffered breakdowns, while the return to service of two other units had been delayed. Breakdowns were reported at Matla, Kriel and Camden power stations. The generation units that have been delayed from coming back online are at Tutuka and Matla. 

Eskom had said it was relying on emergency reserves to meet the demand and had warned that it predicted strained supply for the rest of the week. 

This, together with the inclement weather, which has increased demand for electricity, has placed the power system under pressure. Eskom had said it was working to return these generation units to service

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