Cape Town business owners say they are battling to keep their heads above water, as the rampant power cuts are crippling their enterprises.
Smile FM took the streets of Retreat, to speak to them about the devastating impact of rolling blackouts.
Waheeb De Long is the floor manager at Reynolds. He’s worked in the automotive industry for 25 years and he says the ongoing outages frustrate him to no end…
“It’s been chaos, because you can’t even plan your work accordingly. You bring your car in, you say you need your car by tomorrow and I can’t even say you’ll have it by tomorrow, because we basically only have 4 to 5 hours in the day to work.”
John Nkurunziza runs a barber shop. When the power goes off, he is forced to close his doors, resulting in the loss of clientele. pic.twitter.com/f93Ar1X5Dg
Meanwhile, hairdresser Aqeelah Van Der Ford says she’s struggling to provide for her family because when the power goes out, she’s forced to close her doors.
Image by Lizell Persens
“If there are no clients, we don’t get a salary. At the end of the day, if this load shedding doesn’t stop, then business is going down the drain.”
Some say they’re considering alternative modes of energy generation, but sadly, not all are able to afford the additional funds.
Furthermore, John Nkurunziza has been a barber for the past 14 years. Before he invested in an inverter, many of his customers left his container with incomplete hair cuts. This has resulted in the loss of clients.
“I am losing everything. I am losing customers. I am losing money. I have to pay my landlord, and then how will my family prosper?”
Marguerita Smith manages the local Fisherman’s Lane. Her company forks out over R1 800 weekly, to fill its gas tanks. She adds it’s tricky working with fish, as it poses a major health risk if their freezers don’t stay powered.
Image by Lizell Persens
“I must keep it as fresh as possible and not lose food. We use a gas fryer to keep our business running. Gas costs a lot of money.”
Because many businesses, in the area, were unable to find solutions to the energy crisis, they’ve been forced to close down.
