An Energy Crisis Is Seeping Into South Africa’s Food Supply
- Electricity shortages stunt poultry output, leave crops dry
- Cape Town beachgoers warned of sewage spills as pumps fail
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The most severe power cuts ever experienced in South Africa are threatening food and water supplies and disrupting the lives of millions of people, including chicken farmers.
In the poultry industry, electricity outages have forced factories to pause round-the-clock operations for as long as half a day at a time. As a result, over 10 million birds designated for slaughter are still alive and consuming feed, creating a backlog that companies fear they won’t be able to fix.