Eskom is continuing with stage 2 rotational load-shedding on Saturday, saying that this is necessary to “cater for further trips and to create capacity to replenish water reserves for our pumped storage schemes”.

“The system continues to be tight, with unplanned breakdowns above 12,000MW necessitating the use of diesel and water reserves for open cycle gas turbines and pumped storage schemes respectively.

“With the incessant rain, we continue to experience coal-handling problems at a number of our power stations as a result of wet coal, which has led to generation units being unable to produce power,” Eskom said in a statement.

Load-shedding will continue till 11pm on Saturday. The power utility switched from stage 2 to stage 4 load-shedding on Friday.

“We continue to ask customers to reduce demand as a concerted collective effort can help to avoid or lessen the level of load-shedding. As we are experiencing rainy and cooler weather conditions in some parts of the country, we ask that you use efficient heating to keep warm and switch off your geysers over peak periods.

“We will keep South Africans informed about the status of the electricity system and our recovery efforts throughout this period,” Eskom said.