Just when they thought they would start recovering the losses in revenue caused by Covid-19, business owners at the Kada Centre on Deysel Road in Laser Park are facing an even bigger challenge.
The embattled businesses on this property and some of their neighbours have been operating under the worst conditions due to an unresolved power outage stemming from the scourge of illegal connections in the area.
On the day of the interview with the Northsider (12 November), the suffering business owners had been in the dark for almost 21 days without a definite date for a remedial or constructive solution.
One of the worst affected companies in the centre is MPP Engineers, which is owned by motorcycle expert and mechanic, Dave Cain.
Dave, who’s been running the workshop for 16 years, decried the ripple effect the outage has had on his business.
“Most of my clients are the bike shops, so if a part gets broken it’s brought to my business for repairs. However, due to the power crisis, I cannot carry out any repairs requiring more than one-phase electricity such as welding, milling and turning,” he said, adding that the outage has left about eight bike shops at a standstill because he cannot supply spares for them.
When asked if they have sought any answers from the relevant entities, Dave said that he had received just too many vague reasons for the outage, which left him even more frustrated.
Instead of packing up and closing the workshop, the mechanic bought an unbudgeted for generator worth R8 000 to keep his lights on. “It’s hard to work when you only have a generator. Besides spending about R150 a day on petrol, I lose out on business because I cannot hear my phone ring due to the loud noise caused by the generator,” he lamented.
On day 15 of the outage, Ward 97 councillor Leah Knott intervened by writing a letter to the City requesting answers about an urgent solution as these companies have suffered enough.
“Due to the illegal activities and electrical issues which occur here on a regular basis, Ward 97 has already lost several businesses from in and around this particular area, such as Hino which used to operate on the corner of Deysel and Pierre Roads,” she outlined.
“The City cannot remain complacent about this issue – the Laser Park and Honeydew areas are prime locations for business which not only provides employment but also contributes substantially to the City’s budget and economy,” Leah said in the letter.
In its response, City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena attributed the delay in restoring the power to the process of organising an operation against illegal connections in the area. “Due to vandalism and illegal connections a pole carrying a medium-voltage overhead line was broken, and it caused damage to the overhead line,” he explained.
He added that 98 per cent of the resultant power outage had been restored. However, Mangena cited that City Power is unable to restore the remaining portion due to illegal connections and overloading. “As City Power is not the only participant in organising the removal of illegal connections, it is currently engaging other parties so that an operation becomes successful,” he concluded.
