ESKOM WARNS OF A CONSTRAINED POWER SUPPLY AND POSSIBLE OUTAGES

South Africa's power utility, Eskom, warns of possible power outages.

Eskom has warned of possible power outages, with Eskom spokesperson, Khulu Phasiwe, tweeting on Monday afternoon: "The national grid is expected to be constrained this evening due to instability at several power stations due to acts of intimidation. Several power stations [are] now running at skeletal staff, a move that could compromise our ability to ensure the security of the power supply".

He also said that they were also investigating why certain units had gone offline, "A handful of power generating units, including two at Matla, one at Koeberg and Arnot, are currently offline. Investigations are continuing to determine the cause of these outages. A conveyor belt was cut at Matla power station in what management believes is an act of sabotage."

The coal trucking at Majuba and Duvha power stations have also been affected due to "acts of intimidation", he added, "this poses a threat to the security of the power supply."

This is the first warning issued by Eskom since late June when rotational load shedding occurred for several days that month.

At the time, Eskom said that acts of intimidation and sabotage by employees locked in wage negotiations were to blame, however, unions denied they were involved. The wage negotiations continue.