Power chaos hitting small business hard

Across South Africa companies big and small are feeling the pinch of nearly two months of power cuts and having to spend a fortune on diesel fuel for their stand-by generators.

At Lynray Engineering, in Benoni, on the East Rand, something's got to give.

For two consecutive days last week the electrical circuit box manufacturing company was hit by load-shedding, costing it R10000 for fuel for its generators.

"We need to make a plan," said spokesman Jeandre Smit. "We have to do something."

To keep production going during load-shedding they run five generators, costing them R40000 a month in diesel.

They are not alone.

Peggy Drodskie, chief operating officer of the SA Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said: "Our members, small and medium-sized businesses, are saying on average it costs them R40000 a month to run their generators."

She said installing a generator costs about R1-million, which many small companies cannot afford. The chamber is looking for alternatives to beat load-shedding.

Possibilities include operating in shifts, with employees working outside normal hours.