Joburg CBD businesses suffer more than 50% drop in sales due to days of blackout

Businesses in the Johannesburg CBD are feeling the impact of the power outage affecting the inner city, with most losing more than 50% of sales.

The CBD has been without power for six consecutive days after a fire at the Bree substation on Saturday.

The prolonged outage has forced many shops to rely on generators, which are often insufficient to meet their needs. Many couldn’t open as they rely on electricity for basic operations such card machines, refrigerators and lighting.

Speaking to TimesLIVE, Big Save butchery store manager Paul Haddad said the store has suffered a 60% decline in sales, attributing the loss to the inability to stock and sell meat due to refrigeration issues.

“My fridge is not working, and my stuff defrosted. I had to take my meat elsewhere, which is costing me a lot,” Haddad said.

“My customers are not coming because they can't get meat, I can't stock anything because I have nowhere to put it. Sales have gone down by 60%. This will have a huge impact on how I will pay the rent and staff. It's hectic.”

He said he has resorted to selling products that don't require electricity as he relies on a generator, which is not sustainable. “I have a backup generator but it's not enough to run the entire shop. It can cover me for an hour, not the entire week.”

Nadeem Khalid, a clothing store owner, said: “It has affected more than 50% of our business. Not only us, every second person is affected.”

Khalid said he had to spend thousands on a generator to keep his shop open, but customer foot traffic has significantly decreased.

Armadale Place residential building manager Emmanuel Tsavah highlighted the bad timing of the outage as it coincides with month-end activities. “The outage hit at the busiest and most sensitive time for the residential and commercial sides,” Tsavah said.

He processes such as rental collections and paperwork are delayed, affecting tenants and management.

Tsavah said he relies on a backup generator to keep the lift and basic lighting running in a 21-storey building for tenants, including some who are and others living with disabilities. “Keeping the generator going is not only necessary, it’s non-negotiable. But the cost is something else.”

Tenants are also feeling the blow, Tsavah said. “It’s winter. Taking showers has become a challenge, especially for children, who are using cold water which can easily lead to flu or catching a cold. Some tenants had to throw out meat and other food from their fridges. For families doing their best to make ends meet, that’s more than only food gone. It’s hard-earned money down the drain.”

City Power said it's working to restore power, expecting completion by Saturday. “We are preparing to commence the testing phase, which will enable us to restore service to additional customers through back feed channels,” it said.

“In parallel, we are addressing the rehabilitation of infrastructure in the underground tunnels that have incurred damage from theft and vandalism. Notably, we have successfully pulled two out of six high-voltage cables into the tunnel, representing a crucial milestone in the installation process. The cable laying operation is ongoing.”

TimesLIVE