{"id":50970,"date":"2023-02-01T07:33:13","date_gmt":"2023-02-01T05:33:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/businesses-say-they-face-bleak-future-as-a-result-of-load-shedding-20230131\/"},"modified":"2025-03-19T20:31:02","modified_gmt":"2025-03-19T18:31:02","slug":"businesses-say-they-face-bleak-future-as-a-result-of-load-shedding-20230131","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/peoplespost\/businesses-say-they-face-bleak-future-as-a-result-of-load-shedding-20230131\/","title":{"rendered":"Businesses say they face bleak future as a result of load shedding"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Load shedding continues to wreak havoc across sectors leaving a path of economic destruction in its wake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This comes on the back of a difficult two and a half years following the Covid-19 pandemic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Local businesses say they are unable to cope with the continuous load shedding. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Naeem Hussain, owner of Grill Father Woodstock, says his restaurant is suffering. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is really bad. Honestly speaking, in the next two months we are going to make some hard decisions. It is not what we want obviously, but it has affected us to a point where we can\u2019t help ourselves anymore. There is nothing we can do, and we need to deal with it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

POWER CRISIS | <\/strong>The latest news, analysis and opinion on SA\u2019s ongoing electricity woes<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hussain says the financial implications are devastating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is absolute madness, there is nothing we can do to come back from this. We survived Covid-19 miraculously, but this is something I don\u2019t think we can come back from.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Siobhan O\u2019Sullivan, Managing Executive, HPC, Group Strategy and Marketing for Premier, says the ongoing and extended load shedding is negatively impacting production and contributing to further cost increases in the food industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Premier produces and markets South African brands such as Snowflake, Blue Ribbon, BB Bakeries, Star, Mister Bread, Iwisa, Nyala, Mister Sweet, Champion, Rascals, Frutus, Lil-lets, Vulco & Dove cotton wool. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

O\u2019Sullivan says: \u201cIn our day-to-day operations, we are mindful of the importance of our products in the staple foods basket and we continuously do what we can to ensure continuity of supply and minimise the impact of cost increases to the end consumer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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