Loadshedding Forces Single Mother to Shut Her Online Teaching Business, SA Enraged

• South Africans are incredibly disappointed in the government after a woman had to shut down her online business because of persistent power cuts
• Lungiswa Xhamela lost 80% of her international students because they were unimpressed by how unreliable the services had become
• The 33-year-old entrepreneur blames Eskom for the demise of her business, saying that her line of work requires a consistent electricity supply

FREE STATE - Many people in Mzansi are livid that a young entrepreneur and single mother was forced to close down her online teaching business because of loadshedding.

The South African online English teacher lost the lion's share of her international students in one week because they could not cope with the disruptions caused by constant rolling blackouts.

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Lungiswa Xhamela makes her living teaching international students English online. However, Xhamela said many students were frustrated by how unreliable her services had become because of the protracted energy crises.

The students who hail from countries like Latin America, Turkey, Ukraine, and Belgium left negative reviews and ratings on her profile after their mass exodus.

Xhamela told News24 that access to electricity is imported in her line of business. The equipment needed to run sessions requires power to be operational. The 33-year-old entrepreneur added that backup generators and UPSes, which would allow her to continue teaching during the blackouts, were expensive.

South Africa's power utility has been implementing crippling power cuts over the last couple of weeks. However, President Cyril Ramaposa conceded in his weekly newsletter published on Monday, 26 September, that there are no quick fixes for the energy crisis and that South Africans should be patient with the government as they look for lasting solutions.

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South Africans are angry that loadshedding cost Lungiswa Xhamela her online business

People across the nation expressed their shock and disbelief over the impact loadshedding had on Xhamela's online business. Many lamented how the government failed Xhamela and continues to fail the rest of the nation.

Here are some comments:

@AbigirlMapholi3 posted:

"It's not fair at all."

Khululwa Lungile Somkhwitshi commented:

"Our government has failed us to a point where we migrate to other countries or work remotely. Now it’s taking that away from us with the endless loadshedding. ANC has to go 2024 is too far."

Mcingeleni Tom pointed out:

"At least it is safe to say we do not have a government. If we have any, of which I do not know, it is completely dysfunctional and useless. There is no saddest story."

Domenic Thabani said:

"ANC is wicked in every sense of the word, and anybody who still votes for them needs to submit for psychological evaluation."

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@LadyCadaver666 added:

"That is incredibly sad and really is unfair."

@d11d1182c0184e8 suggested:

This eskom and the rulling party must be sued.

Eskom bosses may be axed amid pressure to keep lights on and end rolling blackouts

In a related matter, Briefly News reported that top leadership at South African power utility, Eskom, may be in jeopardy of losing their jobs. Reports indicate that changes to the board and administration of the ailing power utility are imminent.

Energy expert Tshepo Kgadima said Eskom's leadership needs a much-needed facelift as Kgadima maintains that the power utility's board has failed to address the energy crisis.

According to Jacaranda FM, President Cyril Ramaphosa and his cabinet will meet this week to discuss leadership changes at the struggling parastatal.

Source: Briefly News