Load-shedding is “killing” small businesses and there is a very real possibility that unless the runaway energy crisis is reined in, lives will be lost, according to Eastern Cape business leaders and unions.
Government workers are also taking enormous strain, as the public expectation of service delivery has not diminished while the crisis has deepened.
For the third straight day on Tuesday, Stage 4 load-shedding was rolled out across the country.
The situation is set to become worse.
Late on Tuesday, it was reported that Eskom had already started planning for Stage 5 and Stage 6 load-shedding.
In a no-nonsense rebuke of Eskom and government, the business community in the Eastern Cape called the latest round of power cuts an “embarrassment” to the country as billions of rands were lost to the economy each day.
“It’s definitely going to threaten the future of my business if it carries on,” said Clarence Pieters, the owner of Fix It Shoe & Leather Repairs in Berea, East London.
“Every time the electricity goes off, we get further and further behind schedule. We are now having to work overtime and will also be working on the public holiday [Human Rights Day] to try to make up the backlog.”..