Spaza shops, hair salons and street vendors are the main drivers of the local economy in Diepsloot but without power, they say their businesses are as good as dead.
Diepsloot resident looks on Eskom technicians remove illegal electricity connections in their community on 29 September 2020. Picture: Abigail Javier/EWN
JOHANNESBURG – With South Africa battling skyrocketing unemployment, business owners in Diepsloot, north of Johannesburg, said that the disconnection of power in the township was another blow to their already battered pockets.
Eskom has disconnected illegal connections in Extention 13.
But some residents vowed to reconnect the power, saying that no lights would result in an increase in crime in the area.
GALLERY: Eskom removes illegal power connections in Diepsloot
They said that they had no problem paying for power officially but government had not formalised this.
Spaza shops, hair salons and street vendors are the main drivers of the local economy in Diepsloot but without power, they say their businesses are as good as dead.
Owen Mudau, who owns a local spaza shop, said that no power meant that he would not be able to sell perishables but it also meant fewer customers at certain times of the day.
“When there’s no power, no one wants to come to the shop in the evening. I’m also afraid to open because of the criminals around here.”
Kholofelo Motia is one of the 2.2 million South Africans who lost their jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic.
He opened his hair salon during level 4 of the lockdown.
“With Eskom taking its transformers, life is about to get tougher. This business is my life. Without power, I don’t know how I’m going to serve my customers.”
Motia said that he had solar power as a backup but he would not be able to afford to maintain it with more customers not wanting to do their hair closer to sunset.
WATCH: No illegal power for the people: Diepsloot residents decry disconnections
