Tzaneen: New load-shedding areas cripple CBD
Business owners say new load-shedding municipal areas in Tzaneen CBD are affecting the selling off and testing of their products before they are purchased by customers.
The revised allocation of load-shedding areas has had a crippling effect on businesses in the CBD.
Greater Letaba Municipality implemented their revised area allocation and schedules on 1 March.
It was the first time that the schedule also included the CBD, Macadamia Care Centre for senior citizens and the three major shopping centres, Tzaneen Lifestyle Centre, Tzaneng Mall and Tzaneen Crossing.
The effect of these new schedules on the CBD became especially apparent when Eskom implemented Stage 4 last week. Stage 4 doubles the frequency of Stage 2 which means load-shedding is scheduled 12 times over a four day period for two hours at a time or 12 times over an eight day period for four hours at a time.
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Macadamia was hit the hardest. Some of the elderly people in the center require special needs such as the use of oxygen tanks which function using electricity. Macadamia has UPS back-up generators to keep the lights on and the oxygen tanks functioning, but their working capacity is low due to extended load-shedding hours.
Hardy Archer, a sister from the centre, says that it is not their biggest concern.
“Our biggest concern is our assisted living senior residents. They live in their own units and most of them do not have generators. This has a huge impact on those dependent on oxygen tanks when the power goes off.”
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According to Hardy, care centres should be excluded from load-shedding due to the level of care that is required for the elderly.
“During load-shedding, we lose contact with our patients due to network problems which poses a huge risk.”
One of the elderly fell and was harmed during the blackout and due to the lack of communication. It took a while for her to get help. As a precaution, the centre has bought torches for every resident for their own safety. The reallocation of areas has also affected the productivity of local businesses in the CBS as most do not own generators. They are forced to close for the specific hours and halt on their operations.
It affects cellphone towers and the signal, which means that customers cannot swipe their cards when they shop. Temesqen Gambero owner of Kilimanjaro Trading, said load-shedding is seriously affecting his business. They are not only a cafe, but they also deal with food.
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“Power surges from when the electricity comes back on, damage our equipment and fridges.”
He also expressed how the load-shedding hours are not convenient for running a business and that they stand to lose customers. Madiba Music, a local electric business, suffers the same fate. They cannot operate without electricity and do not have a generator.
“Electric products must be tested before selling, so without electricity we cannot sell any products,” said the business owner, Malik Yasin.
A business owner from the Tzaneng Mall said that businesses have no choice but plan around the situation. Businesses must find a way to adjust to the schedule so they can minimise the effects of the loss of productivity by using the hours during load shedding for other things that do not require electricity.
