Eskom Loadshedding devastating small businesses, says union
Johannesburg - Rolling blackouts by state-owned electricity utility Eskom are hurting small businesses the most, as many cannot afford fuel-powered generators for alternative sources of energy, one of South Africa's oldest trade unions UASA has said.
In a statement late on Monday, UASA spokesman Stanford Mazhindu said public enterprise minister Pravin Gordhan’s "valiant" efforts to bring Eskom under control about a year ago had "failed miserably" as shown by the company being forced to implement unprecedented "stage 6" load shedding to avoid tripping the national grid as its generating units broke down.
Stage 6 involves suppressing up to 6,000 MW of electricity demand at any given time to ease pressure on the grid. "South Africa is in deep trouble. We know there is no magic formula, and we don’t want a magic formula. What we want is a power utility that is responsibly managed, enabling South Africans to live quality lives and get on with their business enterprises," Mazhindu said.
"A short stroll down a busy small business area during load shedding indicates just how dire the situation is. People sitting outside because they cannot work. Kitchens, laundries, opticians, veterinary clinics are closed and therefore losing money."
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