Business owners in Ventersdorp, JB Marks Municipality in the North West say they are grappling with significant challenges due to rampant cable theft which has severely disrupted the electricity supply in the area.
The lack of reliable electricity has forced many businesses to halt operations, leading to financial losses and an inability to sustain their workforce.
Business owners say since they started experiencing power outages in their area, they are spending a fortune every month to keep their businesses afloat.
They say this has forced them to shut down temporarily or operate at a limited capacity, impacting their productivity and revenue.
Jeffrey Nong who is a distiller says this has been going on for a long time.
“It has been too long since we had a problem with electricity, especially since load shedding has been suspended. The cable theft issue is a big problem, which makes it difficult for us to water our plants. I have a vineyard and it needs water, but due to the lack of electricity I cannot water it and I cannot produce as much as I want.”
Meanwhile, Eskom has confirmed the crisis with cable theft and says that cases have been opened, while police say they make arrests almost daily.
Farmer Ben de Beer says they have come up with solutions to avert the closure of their businesses.
“I think we can utilise the substation at the back and connect it with the lines down by the farmers’ side, as well as the RD lines that go into town. If the substation here can be utilised, then it might resolve some of our issues. However, I do not think Eskom knows what to do here.”
