Eskom has warned that there is 'significant risk' from 5pm on Tuesday after multiple generation units were lost overnight amid protest action which continues to hinder planned maintenance.

South Africa's electricity crisis worsened on Tuesday, 28 June when Eskom announced it was moving from Stage 4 to Stage 6 load shedding from 4pm to 10pm on Tuesday, with Stage 4 being implemented again from 10pm to midnight.

"Load shedding will then be reduced to Stage 2 until 5am on Wednesday morning. From 5am until 4pm on Wednesday load shedding will be implemented at Stage 4. Load shedding 6 will then again be implemented at 4pm to 10pm tomorrow evening," the power Utility said on Tuesday afternoon.

"This is due to the unlawful and unprotected labour action, which has caused widespread disruption to Eskom's power plants. This has compelled Eskom to continue taking precautionary measures to conserve generation capacity and safeguard plant from damage. There is a high risk that the stage of load shedding may have to change at any time, depending on the state of the plant," it added.

Meanwhile, as the rest of the country shifts to Stage 6, the City of Cape Town says it will protect...