According to Eskom, Cyclone Idai in Mozambique has contributed significantly to load shedding being escalated from stage 3 to stage 4 over the weekend. This has forced many big businesses to fall back on generators to keep production going while others were forced to close down.
Themba Baloyi, 48, who owns a butcher in Soweto explains how load shedding has crippled his meat business.
“We are in a situation where we experience load shedding for four to six hours. Operating in the townships affects it more because we rely on the residents to generate Business”, he said.
Thomas’ business depends on electricity to always keep the meat fresh. He added that, most of his customers are continually getting disappointed as they are constantly turned away due to load shedding.
Themba says that he always has to rent cold rooms to keep his meat fresh and it has exhausted his budget, he fears that soon or later his business might shut down since he cannot afford to purchase a generator.
Another business owner in Soweto, Joseph Nkosi (38) who also cannot afford a generator, says electricity shortages are hindering his internet cafe business.
“It’s like the economy has been cut in half, where part of the economy is operating half of the day and it is not like there is plan. As a business owner, this is an outrageous situation, we’ve got staff to pay – if the business is not making money, then the staff loses their jobs” he said.
Despite the rolling power cuts, Eskom managed to meet 80 percent of the country’s demands. The utility urges consumers to use electricity sparingly to reduce levels of load shedding. If your municipality is an Eskom customer, you can look your schedule up on the Eskom website by typing in your area’s name. For load-shedding schedules affecting the City of Johannesburg, you can visit www.citypower.co.za, or call 086 056 2874, or follow them on Twitter @CityPowerJhb.
