Garden Route residents are experiencing a prolonged blackout, now entering its 16th day, due to ongoing cable theft. The lack of electricity and water has forced many to discard spoiled food and left homes in darkness. This crisis follows severe weather earlier this month that affected towns along the south-eastern coast of the Western Cape, including the Crags, Plettenberg Bay, Sedgefield, and parts of George.
By Thursday afternoon, many residents had entered their 16th day without reliable electricity or water after repeated incidents of cable theft. Eskom spokesperson Kyle Cookson said technicians had been working around the clock to restore electricity supply to customers in the Garden Route. He said while electricity had been restored in some areas, places such as the Crags were still without power due to cable theft and vandalism.
Cable Theft and Vandalism
According to the Eskom website, cable theft is a significant problem in South Africa, with thousands of kilometers of cable stolen every year. This not only affects the power supply but also puts a strain on the economy. The severity of the situation is evident in the Garden Route, where residents are struggling to cope with the prolonged outage.
Businesses in the area are also feeling the pinch, with many struggling to stay afloat. Anne Laires, who owns a dairy farm, farm stall, bakery, restaurant, and accommodation business in the Crags, said the outages have affected every aspect of her operation. “We are an agricultural dairy operation, so it affects everything,” Laires said. “We milk cows, so we need generators to be able to milk the cows and keep the milk cold. We also have a farm stall, bakery, and restaurant, so we need generators to operate and keep all stock and produce cold.”
Financial Impact
The cost of keeping generators running is immense, especially against the backdrop of soaring fuel prices. Wholesale diesel prices in SA surged past R30 a litre in May after one of the sharpest fuel price increases in recent years. “The generator costs more than R4,000 a day to keep running,” Laires said. “Obviously, it fluctuates depending on whether we’re pasteurising milk, how much we’re producing, and other factors.”
Here are some of the ways the blackout is affecting residents and businesses in the Garden Route:
- Spoiled food and perishable goods
- Loss of income for businesses
- Increased cost of generators and fuel
- Difficulty in accessing basic necessities like water and healthcare
As the situation continues to unfold, residents and businesses in the Garden Route are urging the authorities to take action to prevent further cable theft and vandalism. In the meantime, they are left to cope with the aftermath of the prolonged blackout.
