The restaurant industry has had a tough year, and the past few months have been made even tougher by various stages of load shedding. Businesses have been plunged into darkness as Eskom attempts to shed the weight of its failing power grid system. And restaurants, in particular, appear to be losing money and operational stability.
Generators have been the saving grace for many restaurants who are looking to keep the lights on, but as petrol prices climb, even this has had a negative financial impact on our favourite eateries.
According to Wendy Alberts, the chief executive officer of the Restaurants Association of South Africa (RASA), running a generator could cost restaurants around R1000 an hour. However, this does depend on the size and power a restaurant may need to run effectively, reports Business Insider.
With rolling blackouts happening twice a day and lasting around three hours, this equates to around six hours of having to utilise a generator, which could cost a restaurant approximately R6000 per day. There’s no question that some businesses may be coming up at a loss, made worse by the highest-ever recorded cost levels of diesel and petrol with an average generator capable of producing electricity for essential appliances including fridges, lights, kitchen appliances, consuming around 20 litres of fuel every hour, reports the online publication.
Restaurants are certainly feeling the pinch when it comes to load shedding. However, matriculants appear to be contesting with the implications of Eskom’s woes too.
The Department of Basic Education has urgently requested a meeting with Eskom CEO André de Ruyter to discuss the hundreds of thousands of students across South Africa which are forced to face the country’s rolling blackouts during a critical period in the exam year, especially for matriculants who are currently writing their final National Senior Certificate examinations. The meeting is set to take place in the coming days, reports EWN.
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Basic education dept requests urgent meeting with Eskom as load shedding affects exams
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