What are the effects of power outages on businesses in South Africa? Power outages create problems in the socio-economic development of the country because companies, factories, shops, hospitals etc. they struggle to continue functioning due to these disruptions. The elderly, the sick and the very young are the most vulnerable, especially during the colder months. Students are also affected, they sit in the dark and can neither study nor work. Patients also suffer terribly as operations are disrupted in hospitals and limited generator power is diverted to essential services. Nightly power outages also encourage thieves. People and hospitals have problems with their daily activities, offices are unable to function properly; people are unable to do their work on time. Fresh food businesses will suffer from unnecessary waste and expenses during power outages. Power outages could lead to financial collapse and economic imbalance. Businesses suffer because they run mainly on electricity. This means a loss of customers and income: production decreases and everything else slows down, which in turn slows down the economy. The sectors of production, cold storage, processing, ready-to-eat food producers and businesses providing a service will be affected. severely; as there is already pressure on their profit margins; many businesses are forced to underutilize their capacity during power outages. For many of us, power outages are nothing more than an inconvenience, but they can have a serious effect on any business, especially those that rely heavily on a stable electricity supply. There's the irritation that things don't go as planned and the fact that power outages cost businesses time and money. All businesses are frustrated with constant power…half of paper…electronic devices are plugged into power protections.• Obtain an alternate power source.• Use backup power sources for emergency power.• Keep emergency lighting ready.• Prepare employees.• Schedule customers. Have an emergency plan for customers.• Use generators only in well-ventilated areas. Businesses should install a backup generator to cover future power outages taking into account the initial cost and the cost during an outage for fuel and maintenance. Our country has the greatest potential in the world for alternative energy: we have excellent sunlight for solar energy and areas of the country that would work well for wind farms. Build new power plants, minimize electricity theft, stop corruption and use renewable energy sources. It should become socially unacceptable to use energy inefficiently. We must all defend our future.