Even though South Africa has now marked a full year without national load shedding, the country's two biggest commercial talk stations spent the past fortnight returning, again and again, to the lingering cost of the electricity crisis for small operators. The framing on Cape Talk and 702 was striking: the lights may be on, but the bill is still being paid — in diesel, in municipal load reduction, in fragile local networks, and now in a fresh threat that Eskom could cut bulk supply to Johannesburg over a R5.2 billion debt.
Presenters from John Maytham and Clarence Ford on Cape Talk to Bongani Bingwa, John Perlman and Stephen Grootes on 702 wove together caller experiences, ministerial interviews and EWN bulletins to argue that the small business story is not 'after load shedding' but 'still inside it'. Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa was the dominant official voice, warning the Johannesburg situation could become "catastrophic". Underneath that, on-air guests put hard numbers on what intermittent municipal outages still cost — and callers questioned why townships continue to face 'load reduction' at all.
A year without load shedding — but not without the cost
The fortnight's coverage opened on a paradox that presenters kept returning to: South Africa had just clocked 365 days without national load shedding, yet small business operators were still describing electricity as their single biggest operational headache. On 702 Breakfast, Bongani Bingwa marked the anniversary almost grimly, warning listeners to "imagine the horror Joburg residents might face, having paid their bills to find themselves plunged into darkness because that money never made it to ESCOM."1 On Cape Talk's Views and News, Clarence Ford refused to celebrate Eskom's improved financials, telling listeners that analysts "estimate that loadshedding has shaved off between 15% and 20% of cumulative GDP growth" and that the country needed instead to "reflect on the cost of inefficiency."2
What it still costs at the till
The sharpest small-business testimony came on Stephen Grootes' Money Show on Cape Talk, where a poultry operator told listeners that even with national load shedding gone, "we still from time to time experience municipal load shedding… so that costs are still running up to R5 million a month in our business, and that's the diesel."3 That number — diesel burn measured in millions, on a single mid-sized operation — anchored much of the week's framing: that the end of Stage 2 and Stage 4 has not ended the cost line on the income statement, it has only moved it.
John Maytham's afternoon show on Cape Talk picked up the same thread from the household side, where small traders and informal operators sit. Discussing smart meters and tariffs, Maytham noted that "electricity prices are so high, and they've gone up so quickly that people are just battling to get through it… for some people, load reduction, load shedding really hasn't ended the impact of it."4 A caller into the same show pushed the question further, asking Eskom directly to "explain what is load reduction and why do townships, black townships, have load reduction?"5 — a reminder that for spaza shops and home-based businesses, the schedule never really stopped.
The Johannesburg shock: a new threat to small operators
Midweek, the story pivoted hard. Eskom issued a notice of its intention to "reduce, interrupt and or terminate the supply of electricity to certain bulk supply points" in the City of Johannesburg over R5.2 billion in unpaid debt, with another R1.5 billion due the following month.6 EWN bulletins on both stations carried the warning on heavy rotation through 19 and 20 May.78 On 702 Drive, John Perlman framed the stakes plainly: "Joburg has a lot of difficulties. Eskom cutting off supply to city power would deepen those difficulties quite profoundly."9
Mandy Wiener on the Midday Report set up the political optics around Mayor Dada Morero's State of the City Address against that same Eskom notice, asking listeners and guests how worried they were. The response from her studio guest was unequivocal: "More than worried, Mandy."10 For small business listeners, the message was that a year of grid stability could be undone not by generation failure but by a municipal billing dispute.
The minister steps in
Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa became the central official voice across both stations. EWN bulletins reported him saying that while municipal debt was a problem everywhere, "Joburg is the most concerning," and that the situation "could become catastrophic if the city fails to urgently get its finances and operations under control."1112 In a clip aired repeatedly, Ramokgopa pleaded: "We should cease to treat each other as debtor and creditor. Joburg is just too big to fail."13 702 Drive trailed a sit-down interview with the minister to probe "crucially what the way forward might be in terms of navigating some sort of solution."14
Fuel, levies and the compounding squeeze
Presenters were careful to situate the electricity story inside a broader cost-of-doing-business squeeze. EWN reported that pressure was mounting on Mineral and Petroleum Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe to restructure the fuel price as global tensions sent oil costs soaring, with political parties warning the knock-on effect was "crippling South African households."15 On 702, the link to small business was made explicit: tensions in the Middle East were "now hitting South Africans where it hurts the most at the petrol pump and in their monthly budgets,"16 and the EFF's fight with the finance minister over a fuel levy increase ran in parallel to the Eskom story.17 Diesel for backup generators sits squarely in that crossfire.
What presenters left unresolved
By week's end, the on-air consensus across Cape Talk and 702 was that the small business cost of load shedding has not so much ended as mutated — into municipal load reduction, into diesel bills that won't come down, into tariff increases, and now into the risk of a Johannesburg bulk-supply cut. Stephen Grootes previewed the next phase of the story on his Money Show, lining up segments on small suppliers blaming larger retailers for their collapse and on exclusivity agreements — signs that the conversation is broadening from kilowatts to the wider question of whether the SME sector can absorb another shock.18 What remains unresolved on air: whether Ramokgopa's intervention holds the Joburg line before 8 July, whether municipal load reduction in townships gets the policy attention callers are demanding, and whether the diesel-as-tax reality for small operators ever makes it into a tariff formula. Those are the threads worth watching on the talk dial in the weeks ahead.
- 702
- cape-talk
Citations
- 1.
“There is a discussion behind the scenes that will avert a crisis. Yesterday was 365 days, a full year without load shedding. Imagine the horror Joburg residents might face, having paid their bills to find themselves plunged into darkness because that money never made it to ESCOM. This is Breakfast with Bongani Bingua.”
- 2.
“They estimate that loadshedding has shaved off between 15% and 20% of cumulative GDP growth. I refuse to celebrate is SCOMB's financial performance. We need to reflect on the cost of inefficiency because that's what it represents. Can't have Paris Tadels suffering such inefficiency. It was extractive over the past decades. They were milking this particular entity. And nobody's in jail. I'm angry. Views and News with Clarence Ford. Every weekday at 9 a.m. Only uncaped on.”
- 3.
“at. You're also controlling what you can control, so you improve the performance efficiency factor of your broilers. What help there? I mean, was the end of load shedding a factor? Stephen, we still from time to time experience municipal load shedding, and I think that's just disruptions in the local network with infrastructure that is not a well-maintained. So that costs are still running up to $5 million a month in our business, and that's the dieselable.”
- 4.
“were. And then the problem with smart meters, of course, is that electricity prices are so high, and they've gone up so quickly that people are just battling to get through it. I mean, for some people, load reduction, load shedding really hasn't ended the impact of it. It's a very difficult, very sad. Sorry to hear that, and I know there are many people in that position. It's a difficult one, and we keep waiting for the minister to come with a new pricing formula. There's a whole lot of people working on it, I'm sure.”
- 5.
“are doing well. Regarding load shedding to ESCOM, could you please ask them to explain what is load reduction and why do townships, black townships, have load reduction? Thank you. My dear friend, the ESCOM comment you made, frankly, I would be very concerned if ESCOM did not keep the lights on for 365 days due to the fact that the amount of solar and wind,”
- 6.
“an in institution like that can allow our people to live under those conditions and are quite about it. SCCOM has issued a notice of intention to reduce, interrupt and or terminate the supply of electricity to certain bulk supply points against the city of Joburg. In other words, they're saying you owe us $5.2 billion in debt. If you don't pay us, we're going to cut you off. How worried are you about that? More than worried to mend you. You know, I've shared this with South Africans, I'm sure, with you as well.”
- 7.
“This is EWN. Good evening. I'm Maki Malapo. ESCOM has announced plans to reduce interrupt or terminate electricity supply to the city of Jobig and its utility city power owing to unpaid debt. It says both entities are behind in repaying debt of more than 5.2 billion rent, which excludes another 1.5 billion rant that's true next month. Ascom says in the last”
- 8.
“minutes. But one of the key issues facing the city of Johannesburg is a notice issued by ESCOM yesterday and it is called or the headline on the notice says ESCOM issues a notice of its intention to reduce, interrupt and or terminate the supply of electricity to certain bulk supply points against the city of Johannesburg and city power as a rear debt reaches 5.2 billion rand. A severe problem on the horizon, the”
- 9.
“the Minister of Electricity, Josienso Ramu Koppah, and he'll be joining us at about 10 minutes past five for his take on the situation that we have right now, but crucially what the way forward might be in terms of navigating some sort of solution. Joburg has a lot of difficulties. Escom cutting off supply to city power would deepen those difficulties quite profoundly, I would imagine. 702 drive, it's quarter to five. John is on X. At John Perlman.”
- 10.
“If you were going to listen to Dada Morero today, speak about the state of the city address, what would you expect him to say? What do you think he's going to say today? I mean, tough job for him trying to spin this one at the moment. And in light of that, a couple of things that we're looking at. So ESCOM has issued this notice to potentially terminate power to the city of Joburg because it needs to pay its debt, its court-arranged, structured debt of 5.2.”
- 11.
“This is EWN. Good evening. I'm Maki Malapo. Electricity Minister Hosenz Ramahopa says while municipal debt is a problem across all municipalities, Joe Berg is the most concerning. ESCOM has notified the city of Joburg and city power yesterday of its intention to reduce, interrupt or cut-off electricity supply owing to unpaid debt. The power utility says the metro and its utility have not”
- 12.
“but adds that the situation is more serious in Johannesburg because of the metro size. ESCOM has demanded that the city pay its 5.2 billion-rant debt or face electricity interruptions, supply reductions or possible shutdowns at several bulk supply points. The minister says it's concerning that Johannesburg has failed to honor resolutions reached after his intervention in the dispute last year. Ramahopa has warned that the situation could become catastrophic if the city fails to urgently get its finances and operations under control.”
- 13.
“Johannesburg because of the metro size. ESCOM has demanded that the city pay its 5.2 billion-rant debt of face electricity interruptions, supply reductions or possible shutdowns at several bulk supply points. The minister says it's concerning that Johannesburg has failed to honor resolutions reached after his intervention in the dispute last year. Ramahopa has warned that the situation could become catastrophic if the city fails to urgently get its finances and operations under control. We should cease to treat each other asset.”
- 14.
“the Minister of Electricity, Josienso Ramu Koppah, and he'll be joining us at about 10 minutes past five for his take on the situation that we have right now, but crucially what the way forward might be in terms of navigating some sort of solution. Joburg has a lot of difficulties. Escom cutting off supply to city power would deepen those difficulties quite profoundly, I would imagine. 702 drive, it's quarter to five. John is on X. At John Perlman.”
- 15.
“pressure to speed up the restructuring of the fuel price as global tensions send oil costs soaring. During debate on his department's 2.86 billion-rand budget, political parties have stated the knock-on effect on the cost of living is crippling South African households, many of whom also depend on paraffin for cooking and heating. Montaacier says a government visit to the Strait of Hormuz is necessary to understand the impact of a blockade. Lindsay Dentlinger has”
- 16.
“in the Middle East are now hitting South Africans where it hurts the most at the petrol pump and in their monthly budgets. EWN, in touch, in tune and independent. For the latest, visit eWN.c.0.ZA or download the EWN app. Joburg is more than just the city. It's an energy that connects us all. That's what makes this one so special. In 702,”
- 17.
“come to more of your reactions on those stories. Right now, it's 8 o'clock. This, this is EWN. The electricity minister sends a strong warning to Joe Berg about its debt to ESCOM, and the EFF continues with its fight with the finance minister over the fuel levy. Good morning, I'm Sviso Zulu. So electricity ministers.”
- 18.
“Money Show with Stephen Crutus is brought to you by Absa Business Banking, featuring the Agri Trends, 2026 autumn edition, and agriculture, smart moves need smart insights. We get it. On your money show tonight is another small supplier blames Wilworths for going under. The DA proposes new laws that would make exclusivity agreements illegal. Naked insurance confirms it's using AI to give you insurance quotes. What happens if the naked app hallucinates. and we'll take a dip into the world.”