Loadshedding destroys lives

By Emily Setona

KESTELL – The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Maluti – a – Phofung (MAP) took to the streets in Qwaqwa, Harrismith and Kestell holding picket signs demonstrating that enough is enough, loadshedding is killing jobs and destroying livelihoods.

Moshe Lefuma the DA constituency chairperson in MAP said that this march was in line with the DA led march that was heading to Luthuli House which is the headquarters of the ANC to say “Enough is Enough” to this power crisis that is a result of the ANC cadre deployment policy. “We are currently experiencing up to stage 6 loadshedding. This is having a catastrophic effect on MAP. Jobs are being lost, businesses are losing money, production stops eventually putting the lives of community members at risk. Households are becoming desperate, they are unable to cope, due to loadshedding.

People are dying in hospitals, this is truly a desperate situation for all South Africans,” Lefuma said. Community member Thato Mdlalose from Kestell said, “Loadshedding needs to stop because these power outages are destroying our property, this on and off electricity is damaging household appliances and burning down houses. This really needs to stop.”

Danie Combrink a Kestell farmer says that enough is enough, “We are tired of this loadshedding that is costing us so much money, jobs are being lost and it is hard to keep the work going and with the increase in the cost of electricity none of us are coping.”

The National Energy Regulator of South Africa has approved an 18 percent in electricity tariffs to ESKOM. The DA rejects this increase saying how will citizens be able to afford such high electricity prices when they are not even getting a fraction of the supply that they are paying for.