Rolling blackouts: Sakeliga survey reveals businesses want industrial-scale energy independence
30 August 2022
Loadshedding has cost businesses dearly, forcing them to become less dependent on Eskom. Businesspeople strongly believe electricity generation and distribution must be privatised, and regard energy shortages as a top social and political priority. These are some of the findings from a recent Sakeliga survey of businesses, including its members, on the cost of rolling blackouts.
The poll was conducted in June 2022 during a period of severe loadshedding.
The survey reveals that the direct costs of severe loadshedding amount to a very substantial 5% of turnover for the median business. Results reveal that businesses seem to spend as much on alternative power sources to alleviate Eskom shortages as they do on their Eskom bills, indicating that the actual cost of energy is significant due to its scarcity.
The median business in the survey had a monthly revenue of around R300 000, and reported losing R8 000 per month in revenue in the three months of acute loadshedding from April to July 2022. Companies also reported around R1 250 per month (median) in damages from loadshedding over the past year – for example, related to surge damage.