Cape Town - As Cape Town gears up for a bumper tourism season, the City says it has measures in place to mitigate the impact of load shedding as thousands of holidaymakers are expected to flock to the Mother City.
On Friday South Africans were plunged into darkness yet again after power utility Eskom implemented stage 6 load shedding. On Sunday the power cuts were downgraded to stage 4 until 5am on Monday.
Eskom said stage 3 load shedding would be implemented from 5am until 4pm on Monday, followed by stage 4 load shedding from 4pm until 5am on Tuesday, reports IOL.
“This pattern of implementing stage 3 load shedding in the morning and stage 4 load shedding in the evening will be repeated daily until Thursday,” Eskom said in a statement on Sunday.
Despite the power crisis, the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Growth, James Vos says many major businesses in the tourism and hospitality sector are able to alleviate the effects of load shedding.
“Load shedding has a major impact on businesses, industries, and the economy at large. Many larger businesses in tourism and affiliate industries are able to mitigate the effects of power outages through renewable energy solutions or the use of generators,” said Vos.
“Cape Town’s Big 6 attractions such as Groot Constantia, Cape Point, Kirstenbosch Gardens, and the Table Mountain Cableway have various electricity back-up or alternative systems that allow them to continue doing business during load shedding.”
Vos says sadly it is smaller businesses and tourism operators, who don’t have the resources to operate during load shedding and are forced to adjust their operations.
“From my daily engagements with businesses in factories and boardrooms, I’ve seen how their production lines are affected and there have been tough conversations around how they cope,” he said.
“Thankfully, the City of Cape Town is currently able to limit load shedding in its supply areas by building up reserves garnered from the Steenbras Hydro Pumped Storage Scheme.
Vos adds: “I know that we face persistent economic and infrastructure challenges, therefore we work strategically to find ways to address these matters.
“We especially need to meet our energy demands to run our operations, to future-proof against the unpredictable power situation, and to continue operating in a sustainable manner.”
Vos says the City of Cape Town has an energy plan to not only end load shedding over time, but to meet the demands of the rapidly growing metro.
Despite these challenges he says the City is ready to welcome visitors to the Cape and says the tourism industry plays an indispensable role in our local economy.
“Our airport is poised to welcome an impressive 31,000 passengers daily, with approximately 215 international flights landing each week. These flights carry not just tourists but also potential investors,” Vos says.
“With our clever campaigns and city-to-city agreements, we are working around the clock to attract visitors, because this industry contributes to economic activity and creates jobs.
“Let's work together to make this season truly unforgettable for our visitors, understanding that our collective efforts have far-reaching economic impacts.”