Eskom chief operating officer Jan Oberholzer has warned that the current bout of load shedding could get worse if there are further plant breakdowns.
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The rand fell in early trade on Monday amid subdued risk-taking as investors sought safety due to fears about global growth and the impact of load shedding.
Eskom will increase the level of load shedding for Monday and Tuesday because it lost more generation capacity over the weekend.
Eskom burned through more than 5.7 billion litres of diesel and kerosene in the past decade as it fought in vain to keep the lights on South Africa.
Eskom chief operating officer Jan Oberholzer has pleaded for an end to talk shops and for an urgent start to building new electricity generation capacity.
Eskom said on Wednesday that the power outlook remained highly uncertain, with unplanned outages often varying by 2GW in one week.
For the third day in the row, Eskom will cut the power during the evening peak, with stage-2 load shedding to take place from 5pm to 10pm on Wednesday.
South Africa is headed for a record year of power cuts if the rate of station breakdowns fails to improve, particularly at coal-fuelled plants.
Eskom will implement rolling blackouts during the Tuesday evening peak, following a similar schedule to Monday, as it continues to battle plant breakdowns.
Phillip Dukashe, Eskom’s group executive for generation – and a 26-year veteran of the state-owned power utility – has resigned.