QACHA’S NEK — For three consecutive days, Melele endured total darkness and chilling temperatures as snowfall disrupted the electricity supply from South Africa’s Eskom to Qacha’s Nek.
The power outage, which started on Monday and persisted until Wednesday evening, left fridges idle and businesses bleeding losses.
In an interview with the Agency, Good supermarket manager Mr. Shuhui Shuhui said the store struggled to stay open.
“Our fridges have been off for three days. We’ve had to rely on a single generator just to light bulbs, but the one that powers fridges is not working,” he said. “We’re worried the food will rot.”
He also revealed that employees were forced to work in freezing conditions without heaters.
“Because of the outage, we couldn’t use heaters either. Staff arrived late and worked in a cold store. It’s a mess,” he said, adding that the business is absorbing unsustainable extra costs due to constant generator use and high fuel prices.
“It’s a mess, and there is nothing I can do,” said Mr. Shuhui. . . .
