The streets of Yeoville in Johannesburg were in darkness after Eskom implemented rolling stage 4 loadshedding,
from 2pm to 10pm, which is scheduled to come to an end on Sunday.
Big business, residents and political parties have lashed out at power utility Eskom for plunging the country into prolonged loadshedding, labelling the move unacceptable.
Yesterday, Eskom moved rolling power blackouts from stage 2 to stage 4, leaving business organisations and residents across SA frustrated.
Eskom said it had to move to loadshedding stage 4 after additional breakdowns of three units at the Medupi and Duvha power stations.
The power utility last implemented stage 4 loadshedding in September but rolling power cuts have gripped the country for nearly 14 years because there has not been enough electricity to meet the burgeoning demand.
Big business organisations told Sowetan that power supply uncertainty has a negative impact on the country’s efforts to recover economically from the Covid-19 pandemic.
Business Unity SA CEO Cas Coovadia said loadshedding was “absolutely problematic for both business and households in the midst of an economy that is barely growing”.
“It’s unacceptable... government should urgently, as in yesterday, do everything possible to bring on stream alternative energy, including solar, which could be turned around quickly,” Coovadia said.
Black Business Council CEO Kganki Matabane said the irregularity of these power cuts was disappointing as business was unable to plan or predict them.
“You wake up with loadshedding stage 2 but you go to bed on stage 4, so Eskom has indirectly created policy uncertainty because any investor will now think twice about investing in this country.”
Abahlali baseMjondolo, an organisation representing people living in shacks, said shack dwellers, street vendors and tuck shop owners are negatively affected by loadshedding as they don’t have alternative power sources.
“When there’s loadshedding a shop owner will have to close earlier and they will lose income. For these owners, their businesses means life to them and determines whether they will get the next meal or not,” national spokesperson Thapelo Mohapi said.
Sam Ngobeni of Vlakfontein, south of Johannesburg, said loadshedding was eating the family’s budget.
“I am an unemployed father. Every month, with the little that I can get, I buy groceries. When electricity goes, I have to go and get takeaways for my family,” Ngobeni said.
Another Vlakfontein resident, Perseverance Makhubele said: “Look, today it is cold and we have to find other means of heating. It is really not right.”
Nomusa Msibi said loadshedding also sparked fears of shack fires in informal settlements.
“Eskom should ensure that loadshedding does not happen every day. We have to wake up early to prepare food for the children. Without electricity, this is difficult.”
The UDM said SA was reaping the rewards of ANC cadre deployment at Eskom.
The UDM’s Bantu Holomisa said the prioritisation of “people carrying a party card” for employment had to stop.
“We are now reaping the fruits of government’s deployment policy. It seems we don’t have the expertise to manage these [new] power systems, especially when it comes to [the] maintenance side of things, which makes us bordering on being a banana republic.”
DA MP Ghaleb Cachalia said it was now clear that the private sector needed to be brought on board to help with power generation. “It’s getting close to the time when drastic measures are necessary.”
‘‘ Look, today it is cold and we have to find other means of heating