Load shedding is a controlled process that responds to unplanned events in order to protect the electricity power system from a total blackout. It is a series of rolling blackouts that occur across South Africa in various stages (stages 1-8) to prevent overloading the national power grid when the energy demand exceeds energy production. Load shedding refers to strategic blackouts in South Africa, where citizens are left without power between six to twelve hours a day. The phenomenon has been an ongoing issue in South Africa for at least the past decade, from roughly 2003 towards the end of then-President Thabo Mbekis second term. Load shedding does not affect all equally. While those who can purchase generators or adjust schedules to cope with the outages, those who cannot afford these options are left without power for extended periods of time. Load shedding is a result of a combination of factors, including corruption, sabotage, lack of investment, legacies of the apartheid regime, or mismanagement.