State-owned electricity producer Eskom will implement load-shedding on Thursday March 14, from 11:00 until 23:00.

The utility said in a statement that it will implement Stage 1 load-shedding, owing to a shortage of capacity. Stage 1 calls for 1 000 MW to be rotationally cut nationally.

Eskom, which has been cautioning of cuts for several days without actually resorting to load-shedding, reiterated that the rotational cuts were conducted as a measure of last resort to protect the system from a blackout.

"We continue to appeal to residents and businesses to use electricity sparingly during this period. Please switch off geysers as well as all nonessential lighting and electricity appliances to assist in reducing demand," the utility said.

It also cautioned consumers to treat all electrical points as live during load-shedding.