Pressure must remain on officials to ensure stable electricity supply

Businesses on the brink of collapse and a petrol station serving as study hub for students and a recharge station for a wheelchair-bound primary school pupil, who is also on a ventilator.

Welcome to the Dark Side.

Of Nelson Mandela Bay, that is. Not some Hollywood blockbuster about the battle between good and evil.

For weeks now the prolonged electricity outage in Gqeberha has forced residents in some parts of the city to live in the dark.

The ongoing power outage in Nelson Mandela Bay is no longer a temporary inconvenience — it is a full-blown crisis.

In a special report this week, The Herald told the stories of at least two businesses buckling under the pressure of not having electricity.

Sandi Holmes, owner of Westvill Deli Game and Ostrich Butchery, described how the power outages, as far back as August last year when the first pylon collapsed, were forcing her to scramble for ways to keep her meat frozen and her 32-year-old family business afloat.

Another business owner, tropical fish breeder Chris Rautenbach, said he, too, was battling to stay afloat.

Rautenbach said it cost him R1,000 a day to keep generators running that keep his fish tanks on the go.

Not doing so would result in all his stock dying and, with that, his business.

Another business owner is also running at a loss — spending up to R20,000 a day to keep a generator going.

Petrol station owner Christiaan Opperman has turned his operation into an informal hub for residents affected by the power outages, offering a place to charge devices, access Wi-Fi and work at night.

A young resident from the neighbourhood who relies on a ventilator to help him breathe also makes regular use of the hub to charge his life-saving equipment.

Amid all this gloom and doom, there have been glimmers of hope, stories of those helping others navigate this crisis, like Opperman.

But this does not negate the long-term impact of the power outages.

And it most certainly does not mean we should take the pressure off officials to ensure a stable electricity supply in the Bay.

Because failure to do so would be severe — businesses will close, jobs will be lost, students will fall behind, and the most vulnerable residents will be left at risk.