State power utility Eskom said the risk for staggered power cuts was high for Monday after implementing the first loadshedding since early December on Sunday.

"The probability of rotational loadshedding remains high tomorrow as a result of a shortage of capacity due to a number of generating units still out of service due to breakdowns," it said.

The struggling utility implemented "Stage 2" power cuts on Sunday, the first since December 9, meaning 2 000 MW of electricity demand was curtailed rotationally to protect the national power system from a total collapse or blackout.

Eskom has warned that this latest phase of loadshedding could last until April.