Eskom has announced that it will implement Stage 4 load shedding from 2pm on Monday until 5am on Saturday morning.

On Sunday, the power utility had said it would implement Stage 3 load shedding in the afternoons followed by Stage 4 only in the evening.

"Due to the increasing demand combined with insufficient generating capacity and the need to manage the emergency reserves, Stage 4 load shedding will be implemented.

"Eskom will closely monitor the power system and communicate any changes to load shedding should it be required," the power utility said in a statement.

By Monday afternoon, unplanned outages at power stations stood at some 15 424MW with a further 6280MW unavailable due to maintenance.

"In the last 24 hours, 500MW of generating capacity was taken offline whilst in the same period 600MW were returned to service. Approximately 1 300MW of generating capacity is anticipated to return to service by Tuesday evening.

"Eskom teams are working tirelessly to ensure that this additional generating units are returned to service as soon as possible," the statement read.

The public is being urged to reduce electricity usage by switching off pool pumps and geysers between the hours of 5pm and 9pm.

"We would like to thank those who do heed the call to use electricity sparingly and efficiently from 17:00 to 21:00, as this lowers demand and helps in alleviating the pressure on the power system and contributes to lower stages of load shedding," Eskom said.