JUST as the hard-hit entertainment and hospitality industries were seeing a glimmer of light post-Covid, Eskom has thrown them back into darkness.
Load shedding has been accompanied by water outages in some areas, also threatening to drown hopes for a resurgent holiday season.
According to Durban theatre and events publicist Illa Thompson, the tourism, hospitality and entertainment industry was playing a frantic catch-up game, after many months of not being able to operate optimally.
“The time between now and the end of the year is crucial. If we don't operate to full capacity over the festive season, the consequences will be dire for us all in the new year. There is no money to be made in January, now is the time, a good festive season is vital,” said Thompson.
“We have had to cancel shows and events due to both lockdown and load shedding and now water outages are scary; it is hitting us when we are down, it is disheartening and anxious making.”
East Coast chair of the Federated Hospitality Association of Southern Africa, Brett Tungay, said bigger hospitality establishments were not likely to be affected by load shedding in terms of revenues, but in the past two years they had been under pressure because using generators was expensive.
“Big establishments do not suffer much with load shedding because most of them have been managing to adapt and are generator equipped.
“For smaller establishments, it is devastating. When the power goes off, they lose stock and their income suffers,” said Tungay.
He added that about 30% of visitors in Durban establishments were from foreign countries, and it was difficult for them to understand load shedding because it rarely happened in their countries. He said this had contributed to the low number of visitors since the beginning of this month.
Yesterday the municipality confirmed water outages in some areas and said they were caused by an uMngeni Water pump failure at Inanda Dam, restricting inflow to the eThekwini Municipality.
The statement said repairs were under way.
Among those affected were Northdene, Verulam, Ntuzuma, Inanda, Avoca, KwaMashu, parts of uMlazi and Folweni.
It said water tankers were on standby and asked residents to use water sparingly.
It said people wanting information could contact the call centre on 080 131 3013, the toll-free number 080 311 1111 or the eThekwini Water and Sanitation WhatsApp number 073 1483 477.
The Independent on Saturday
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