Effects of load-shedding on Soshanguve residents
Load-shedding has been in place for some years now but in 2022 it seems to have taken a toll on many people as the power utility Eskom continues to struggle to keep the lights on. Rekord spoke to some residents.
Since the first week of December the country has been facing Stage 6 and Stage 5 load-shedding, making it hard for residents and local businesses without generators or solar panels to go about their day.
We asked our readers about the effect of load-shedding and how they’re coping with it.
Some openly shared their opinions and frustrations. However, some residents were not interested stating that they’ve given up and don’t think anything will change.
Joseph Mafatle: “We can’t do anything and it’s affecting our small businesses. It makes it hard to work or cook. The government must try harder to make things better. Some of us are no longer working and we rely on small businesses but with load-shedding, we lose a lot because customers come and go.”
Johanna Mamosadi: “It’s straining because we are in the festive season and our meat gets spoiled. We have stokvels where we distribute groceries and that includes meat which can be spoiled at any time. My fridge doesn’t operate like it used to because of load-shedding.”
Peter Mapalakanye: “It affects us and our appliances. I’m afraid that in the long run, they might stop working. The fridge for example is not supposed to be on and off. This needs to be fixed because it is costing us. During the exams, our kids couldn’t read well because of power outages. We don’t know how they did in their exams because it affected them. Not only does it affect us, but it also affects our economy and investors will run and our kids won’t have a future.”
Veronica Mokemani: “Business is slow and it stops completely because of power outages. Sometimes I feel like I might lose my job because of this.”
Morris Ledwaba: “Everything is a mess because of this load-shedding. My fridge makes a sound of a diesel car that hasn’t been serviced when it’s on.”
Lazoros Kola: “I don’t even have candles. Everything is a disaster and when they switch off electricity at night I just go to bed because there’s nothing I can do.”
KG Sbola: “I’m not happy because there are so many things I want to do and if I don’t have electricity, I can’t do anything.”
Mathekga Senyolo: “Load-shedding affects my mornings. I bathe with cold water and I can’t iron my clothes. I can’t mention breakfast because I leave without eating because of load-shedding. As a broadcaster, I prepare my show a day before and preparation is time-consuming only to find out that I can’t work because of load-shedding. It’s a norm and we’ve learned to live with it. It affects you even psychologically.”
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