At Native Rebels, a colourful second-floor bar flanked with a large balcony in the Johannesburg township of Soweto, the cost of running a generator to keep lights on for weeks has been a huge burden, co-owner Masechaba Nonyane told AFP.
Each of the up to eight stages of load shedding costs the country's economy an additional R500 million a day in lost activity, according to government estimates.The dispute was resolved earlier this month as Eskom agreed to a pay raise for its striking workers –- but power cuts have yet to significantly abate."Load shedding will lead to further job losses, which will lead to lower production. It will affect spending.
Addressing the South African Communist Party congress on Friday, President Cyril Ramaphosa, who has been under pressure to resolve the issue, said he would soon be announcing measures to tackle the crisis. Whether those measures come fast enough to keep businesses from closing their doors remains to be seen.