Power cuts are back after weeks of reprieve.

Eskom has announced it will implement stage 2 load shedding from 4pm to 9pm on Thursday.

The power utility says the decision is due to shortage of generation capacity, coupled with the severely cold weather in parts of the country.

“Unfortunately, a generation unit each at Tutuka and Medupi Power Stations were forced offline this afternoon, increasing the capacity
constraints on the power system. Further, a unit each at Medupi and Tutuka, that were expected to return to service this afternoon have now been delayed, further contributing to the shortages. Breakdowns currently total 14 137MW while planned maintenance is 2 924MW of capacity,” says the company in a statement.

The power utility is urging the public to reduce the usage of electricity in order to help ease the pressure on the power system.

It says it will update South Africans on further developments.