After 32 years of serving the Walmer community, Sandi Holmes, owner of Westvill Deli Game and Ostrich Butchery, faces an unprecedented threat to her family business.
Ongoing electricity outages, lasting almost a week in her area and leaving residents and businesses off the rotational schedule, are forcing Holmes to scramble for ways to keep her meat frozen and her business afloat.
With freezers damaged and repeated costly relocations of stock, Holmes says she is “haemorrhaging money” and fears she may have no choice but to close her doors — a devastating prospect after more than three decades of operation.
Holmes said that, in the meantime, she was forced to store meat off-site to prevent spoilage.
“We have had no electricity since Friday. And this is the fourth time [in recent months] we have had to deal with this electricity outage.”
Holmes said when the first pylon collapsed in August 2025, a customer offered to store Westvill Deli’s meat in his four deep freezers at his business.
“I had told the customer that I didn’t know what I was going to do and my business was in deep trouble.”
Holmes said her business stocked about 300kg of meat, so it was a lot to move and store elsewhere, but she had no other option.
“My generator works but only to a point, so it doesn’t keep the meat frozen. Meat can only be kept cold [and not frozen] for a limited time.
“So I packed everything up and moved it to his freezers.”
She said during the next outage, in January, she had to hire a truck to move three of her deep freezers to someone’s factory so she could store all her meat there.
“The third time it happened, neither of those options were available because they were also having trouble with electricity.
“A friend in Mount Pleasant then offered space in his big deep freeze.
“I had just gotten all my meat back and then it happened again, so I had to take it back again.”
She said if they received rotational power like other areas, it would have helped.
In addition, Holmes said the repeated outages and power surges had damaged her freezers and fridges.
“Insurance no longer covers damages resulting from the power outages, so there is no recourse.”
This included not only equipment, but meat products.
“I have repaired two of my fridges, but I have not even tried to fix the third one because it might just break again.
“If we don’t get rotational electricity soon, I might have to close my doors after 32 years, which will affect my staff.”
But, Holmes said, in the meantime she would try everything to keep her business alive.
“I’m a fighter, I won’t give up easily, but I am worried. This is just unacceptable.
“I am haemorrhaging money.”
In addition to a generator for the shop, she also had to buy one for their Walmer home, costing them a lot of money in fuel.
Holmes said sales at the butchery had also declined.
“People aren’t buying meat because they can’t store it or cook it. Many are just getting takeout.
“After running this business for 32 years, the last six months of pylon collapses has threatened our livelihood for the first time,” she said.
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