Power utility Eskom is currently facing coal shortages and maintenance backlogs.

South Africa faces a dark festive season after Eskom announced loadshedding will be implemented for the remainder of the year.

Eskom deputy spokeperson Dikatso Mothae said the power stations are not operating optimally.

“We’ve seen a lot of breakdowns of the units largely because we’ve had to defer maintenance of the power station units over time and that is due to the financial constraints the company has experienced,” said Mothae.