EDITOR – The Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry welcomes the opportunity to comment on Eskom’s implementation of loadshedding as of Monday, 11 February.
The Durban Chamber strongly believes that loadshedding will have a significant disruptive effect on the local and regional economy bearing in mind that Durban and KwaZulu-Natal as a whole is host to some of the country’s largest manufacturers.
Durban and South Africa cannot afford loadshedding as it has a severe socio-economic impact across key industry sectors resulting in loss of productivity which will inevitably lead to revenue losses across industries and their value chains. This can negatively impact jobs and economic growth. Additionally, it can cause other risks and threats to businesses such as equipment damage and project delays which can have lasting medium- and long-term implications. Moreover, loadshedding has a negative impact on the perception of South Africa as a viable investment destination that can significantly influence the country’s projected economic growth plans as well as opportunity and job creation.
We are encouraged by the government’s medium- to long-term plan to split Eskom into three separate entities – generation, transmission and distribution – and views this as a step in the right direction. However, the Chamber requests that the government introduce and act on immediate short-term plans that will help alleviate the effects of the current round of load shedding as rating agency Moody’s Investors Service indicated that “Eskom remained a significant risk to the country’s fiscal strength”.
The Durban Chamber has not received any reports as yet from its members and the business community but strongly urges them to ensure that contingency plans are in place and that they are well equipped to maintain their productivity levels especially for plants which run 24-hour production cycles and construction sites that run high powered equipment.
We will continue to keep our membership and stakeholders updated regarding loadshedding. Businesses are encouraged to keep a close watch on published loadshedding schedules. For Eskom customers, these schedules are available on the Eskom website (https://loadshedding.eskom.co.za), and they can also contact the customer contact centre at 0860 037 566.
Mr Musa Makhunga
President
Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry
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