Blackouts see shops lose money
Big stores in Joburg CBD shut doors
Business people are counting their losses as power outages that hit the country’s economic hub continued yesterday.
Parts of the Johannesburg CBD were plunged into darkness from Saturday after thieves gained entry into a tunnel and stole copper cables worth millions.
Mercy Dube’s boutique specialising in African traditional fashions at Sharp Sharp Plaza along the congested Albertina Sisulu Street was packed with new customers and those coming for fittings.
Customers used their cellphone torches to get light in the store.
Dube said she had not calculated how much she had lost due to the power cuts.
“There are people who have demanded their monies back because I was unable to finish making their attires. It is a loss because I had already bought materials.
“I had to turn away those customers who always wait for the last minute to go to designers to have their garments made. The outages are making it difficult for me to work,” Dube said.
She said she was renting the store and even the flat she was renting did not have electricity as well.
“I do not have any other place to work from. This is affecting my business. I still have to pay rent. The owner of the building is not going to say we should not pay rent for the number of days when there was no electricity because it is not his fault.”
Khethi Mgaga was in Dube’s store for a fitting.
“I am going to a wedding in October. I hope my attire will be ready [on time].”
Another shop owner, Tony Nana, said yesterday he reimbursed a customer R900 for unfinished work.
“I have been getting calls from other customers who are angry with me. I feel helpless. I do not know what I’m going to do. The beginning of the month is the busiest, but since the month began we have been unable to take new orders because of the outage,” Nana said.
Cellphone technician Abid Hussain said he had dozens of cellphones he had to fix, but could not.
“My customers have been calling to find out when they can get their phones, but I have no answers for them. This power cut has been bad for business,” Hussain said.
While other shop owners opted to use generators, many others shut their doors.
These included big retailers Ackermans, Mr Price, Total Sports, furniture store Bradlows and fast-food outlet Chicken Licken.