Business people operating between High and New streets are getting fed up of recurring power cuts that keep happening without any warning from the municipality. Some shops were without electricity for two days last week.
Business people operating between High and New streets are getting fed up of recurring power cuts that keep happening without any warning from the municipality. Some shops were without electricity for two days last week.
This morning, Wednesday 4 December, shop owners had to endure the frustration of finding that they were without power again. Thomas Stone, manager of Country Fresh on Hill Street, said staff have to do everything manually when the power's out.
When Grocott's Mail visited the shop, some were peeling vegetables by hand.
"The machines that are used to peel the veggies are not working because there's no electricity," Stone said. "So they have to do it with their hands and it is a lot of work for them."
Stone said the cashiers are also inconvenienced because their tills can't work. "The staff have to record the transactions manually and it takes a long time, customers get impatient and leave. Really it is difficult to run a business like this," he said.
When Stone phoned Makana Municipality he was told that a power line in New Street was faulty.
"What is frustrating is the fact that no one is communicating with us, there is no correspondence from Makana," he said.
In the same building as Country Fresh, the manager of the shop, Sweet, complained that they are losing out on business.
"We are losing customers. My neighbour has given me an extension from his shop so that I can connect the computers. I need to trade," he said.
Other shops in High Street, roughly from the cathedral to the Checkers building, were also dark and closed. Many of their doors bore signs stating they would be closed until the electricity returned. Attempts to get comment from Makana Municipality were unsuccessful.
