Every sector of the economy is affected by load-shedding, but it is those with limited resources who are the most calamitously affected. As the providers of most of the affordable housing in the inner city of Johannesburg, the Johannesburg Property Owners & Managers Association is made aware on a daily basis of the knock-on effect of extended power cuts on the community and on business in the city.
At Jewel City, the Divercity mixed-use development abutting the Maboneng Precinct, which created a node of excellence within the city, the situation is equally dire. We have learnt that it clocked 1,100 hours of load-shedding last year, which required them to spend an astronomical R2.7m on diesel supplies and generator maintenance. It is evident that not even the most robust budget can accommodate this level of overspending sustainably.
And imagine the plight of the smaller landlords — people who are trying their best, but who simply have no way to afford an outlay of this magnitude. Some of our members have gone the inverter route, but in these high levels of load-shedding, we hear from them that the batteries are depleted within six months, repeatedly needing expensive replacements. So those are not a sustainable solution either.
Landlords also come under pressure from existing tenants, and we’ve unfortunately seen an increase in crime and vandalism in buildings during times when there is no electricity. Some tenants are taking advantage of load-shedding and using the opportunity to rob each other. It is becoming increasingly difficult to navigate and juggle the obligation of landlords to protect their tenants against crime while also protecting their property against being damaged.
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