Scheduled blackouts were the "right thing" to do, Eskom CEO Tshediso Matona said.
"We have arrived at a turning point where can either continue to do the same things of the past... or we can do the right thing... to get us out of this difficult situation," he told reporters in Johannesburg.
Blackouts were necessary to allow Eskom to catch up with the maintenance of its generating units.
"We have opted to do things the right way... expose the country to the likelihood of load shedding," said Matona.
In February, a unit at Koeberg power would go down for maintenance.
"The power system will be severely constrained for a long time."
Matona added: "It is not whether or not load shedding will be part of our lives, but how we are going to cope with it."
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