Landlords 'must foot losses bill'

Johannesburg - The Restaurants Association of SA (Rasa) wants landlords to compensate business owners for the loss of business during load shedding.

This comes after the restaurants owners complained about frequent load shedding between 6pm and 9pm.

Rasa chief executive Wendy Alberts said a number of business owners were on the verge of financial crisis as landlords usually prevented them from connecting their own generators.

Alberts was speaking at a meeting organised by Rasa to discuss problems faced by restaurant owners in the wake of the electricity crisis.

The association invited 22 landlords and Eskom but they failed to attend the gathering.

"We have made a suggestion that business owners be at least compensated in the form of adjustment in their rental, but so far not a single company has been forthcoming," Alberts said.

She said landlords needed to compensate restaurant owners because they refused to allow them to buy their own generators. She accused most of them of delaying the installation of high voltage generators that would serve all tenants.

Tracy Fowler, the marketing manager of SA Shopping Centres, said shopping centres' policies on load shedding varied.

"At this stage it is very difficult to come up with a uniform solution to the problem. The issue is very sensitive [to us] because we represent the interests of both parties," said Fowler.

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