It’s adapt or die for businesses in South Africa 

South African businesses have been forced to invest millions of rands into alternative power sources to adapt to the ongoing issue of load shedding.  

Nedbank’s Guide to the Economy Report revealed that the country narrowly avoided a technical recession in Q1 2023, with GDP growing by 0.4%. Industries such as manufacturing, mining, finance, real estate, and business services contributed positively to this growth despite severe load shedding. 

Many businesses have turned to generators to mitigate the impact of power outages, but the use of more expensive electricity sources has led to higher operating costs and eroded profit margins.  

The agriculture sector has been hit particularly hard by load shedding, with farmers facing increased costs and damage to crops due to excessive rains and foot-and-mouth disease. Major retailers like Pick ‘n Pay and Shoprite have also incurred significant costs to keep their operations running during blackouts.  

Eskom recently escalated load shedding to stage 6 due to additional generating unit losses and other issues. 

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