Durban — Small businesses in Durban, already on their knees because of load shedding, said the increase in the Eskom tariff would wipe them out.
Last week the National Energy Regulator of SA (Nersa) announced that it has agreed to Eskom’s tariff increase of 18.65% which has caused outrage throughout the country, as it is currently on stage 6 load shedding.
Ali Wadi, manager of hair and beauty shop Hannah Hair factory in Durban, on Denis Hurley Street, said they were forced to get a generator two weeks ago. Wadi said they paid R1 800 a month for electricity and are sometimes forced to close the shop during load shedding. Wadi said they had lost customers because of the outages.
Jolene Williams, the manager of The Crispy Fish on Anton Lembede (Smith) Street, said they bought an battery-operated inverter which cost the business R50 000. But Williams said the inverter’s battery cannot keep up with the load shedding. The inverter lasts only 45 minutes during a twohour load shedding period.
“The increase in the Eskom tariff will have a negative impact on us as a business because we are already paying a lot of money for electricity,” she said.
Williams said that fridges were broken because of the load shedding and they had to replace them while waiting for the insurance to finish its investigation. During load shedding they lost 30% of their customers.
“We try alternatives, for instance we make food on a gas stove. That causes a lot of heat so some customers do not even come in,” said Williams.
A fashion designer from Richards bay at Ngwelezane, Mnotho Ngema of Dress by Mnotho, said load shedding had nearly wiped out his business.
“I currently work from home, however I now have to cut down on the orders that I take,” he said.
Meanwhile, uMngeni Municipality mayor Chris Pappas categorically rejected Nersa’s “uncaring and unsympathetic” announcement of an 18.65% tariff increase.
He said many small businesses were not coping under the stage 6 blackouts. With this and the tariff increase, they will be forced to close their doors or shed jobs to save costs: further increasing the levels of poverty, unemployment and inequality.
“We cannot remain silent as the sphere of local government, empowered to advance the best interests of local communities. This decision by Nersa and Eskom, and endorsed by President Ramaphosa, shows a complete lack of understanding of the difficulties South Africans are facing.”
Daily News