Eskom is expected to ramp up load shedding to Stage 4 from 4pm this afternoon (Thursday) and will drop to Stage 3 from 5am on Friday morning.

The power utility said this pattern will repeat until Sunday morning.

The scaling up of the rotational power outages is due to challenges at some six power stations.

"The further delays in returning to service a generating unit each at Arnot, Camden, Kendal, Kriel, Matla and two units at Majuba power station has contributed to capacity constraints.

"We currently have 6014MW [unavailable due to] planned maintenance while another 17 278MW of capacity is unavailable due to breakdowns and delays in returning generators to service," Eskom said.

The electricity supplier called on South Africans to use electricity sparingly as capacity constraints continue.

"Eskom requests the public to reduce to the usage of electricity and to exercise patience and tolerance during this difficult period. Load shedding is implemented only as a last resort in view of the shortage of generating capacity and the need to attend to breakdowns," the power utility said.