South Africa’s parliament is set to hold an emergency session as people prepare for a month of blackouts due to severe power shortages.

The energy crisis, which analysts fear could severely damage the economy, has prompted opposition parties to threaten to bring a motion of no confidence against Thabo Mbeki, the country’s president.

“Prepare yourself for four weeks of hell” the headline in one South African newspaper read on Wednesday.

Eskom, the country’s largest electricity producer, is cutting electrictiy supplies by 4,000 megawatts for four weeks in an attempt to stabilise the power grid.

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/6C1C2757-6F49-4A3B-B108-126CD3224298.htm