power cuts in South Africa

...Neighbours like Botswana and Namibia, which rely heavily on South African energy exports, have also been badly hit by the disruptions in the region's economic and political powerhouse. The outages have undermined confidence in South Africa, with incidents such as the stranding of hundreds of people on tourism icon Table Mountain because of a power cut gaining international media attention.

power cuts in South Africa

...Neighbours like Botswana and Namibia, which rely heavily on South African energy exports, have also been badly hit by the disruptions in the region's economic and political powerhouse. The outages have undermined confidence in South Africa, with incidents such as the stranding of hundreds of people on tourism icon Table Mountain because of a power cut gaining international media attention.
"The unprecedented unplanned power outages must now be treated as a national electricity emergency situation that has to be addressed with urgent, vigorous and co-ordinated actions," Public Enterprise Minister Alec Erwin told journalists after a cabinet meeting today. "We are viewing the next two years as being critical," he said, as government officials unveiled measures, including rationing, price hikes and a massive switch to solar power....

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Load shedding a threat to the industry

Load shedding a threat to the industry - Tourism Council


Johannesburg - Following the continuous electricity load shedding in the country, the Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA), has come out spitting fire on the apparent lack of infrastructural forward planning on the side of the country’s

power blackouts

South Africa Blackouts Snarl Traffic, Shut Cartier, Vex Mbeki
By Antony
Sguazzin

Jan. 24 (Bloomberg) -- Workers at Johannesburg's Tre Gatti
Cucina restaurant spent peak business hours last week wiping down tables and folding napkins by candlelight, their kitchen idled by South Africa's worst-ever blackouts.
With the country's power monopoly, Eskom Holdings Ltd., predicting shortages until at least 2013, the six waiters and kitchen workers may soon be out of work.
``If it continues like this we will have to sell,'' said Dee Kroon, who opened the Italian restaurant in the Johannesburg neighborhood of Craighall Park in 2005. ``Who is going to buy a business if there are power cuts all the time?''
Africa's largest economy is being threatened as a lack of new power plants and increased energy demand have conspired to reduce power to shops and cafes as well as the mines and smelters of companies such as BHP Billiton Ltd. and Anglo American Plc.
The shutdowns
mean entire regions of South Africa are dark for up to five hours a day, triggering traffic jams as street lights shut down. ``Its having a very serious effect on business,'' said Bill Lacey, an economic consultant at the South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The group has called for lower duties on imports of generators for small businesses....

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load shedding

more info on loadshedding in South Africa