Author(s): Sipho Makgopa and Zizipho Mpetsheni
South African enterprises are faced with load shedding electricity crisis which poses threat to business survival and growth. The purpose of this study is to contribute to academic literature by using contingency theory in examining the impact of load-shedding on Small Micro Medium Enterprises (SMME’s) in Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality. A qualitative research method was adopted to gain an in-depth understanding of the impact of load shedding on SMMEs in Nelson Mandela Bay. In-depth interviews were conducted with SMMEs managers to collect the primary data. Content analysis method is used to analyse the primary data with the aid of Atlas. Ti version 8 software. The findings of this study revealed that load shedding result in business interruptions and poses security risks to SMMEs operating in Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality. This study provides recommendations to stakeholders of SMMEs by providing mitigating measures SMMEs should take against load-shedding and future research directions.