With the threat of continued load shedding invoking fears of mass power outages, the Federated Hospitality Association of South Africa in Cape Town (FEDHASA Cape) is adding their voice to the call for government to provide adequate energy security intervention.
At the ‘Business meets Government meeting – focusing on energy security’ hosted by the Western Cape Government on 3 March 2015 in Cape Town, FEDHASA Cape chairman, Rob Kucera raised member concerns on the impact of continued load shedding on the hospitality industry.
Of particular alarm is the impact unscheduled and unrestricted load shedding has on Small to Medium Enterprises (SME) members in the small accommodation and restaurant sectors.
While using generators is an option for some, the cost implication for these businesses are unsustainable over the long term. Member feedback from a recent FEDHASA Cape survey with small accommodation and restaurant members indicated that the prospect of spiralling energy costs related to load shedding have had many business owners questioning their continued survival.
“Our concern is that small businesses in the hospitality sector already face the uncertainty of seasonal revenue fluctuations and will now need to contend with the added insecurity of load shedding,” said Kucera.
