Daily Maverick collected voices from Johannesburg's hardest-hit communities where chronic power failures aren't just an inconvenience -- they're an existential threat to businesses, livelihoods, and public safety. In a big city, big numbers tell the story of struggle. But what do almost 100,000 reported power cuts in nine months really feel like? After mapping 5,126 of the most serious multi-day and regular outages, Daily Maverick identified some of the worst-affected areas and went out to collect citizen testimonies of what it means for the lives and businesses of the city's people. We found that when the lights go out, so does business.

Emmarentia is one of Johannesburg's most beautiful suburbs in the near north. Its business strip is testimony to the city's changing districts. The food shops range from Italian to Indian and to popular halaal fast food spots like KFC and Pizza Hut. Its spice shops and greengrocers do a roaring trade, as does the lovely lady who sells Cape koeksisters and bollas (delicious doughnuts) on Sundays.

I go there regularly, and you can see the businesses struggling when the lights go out -- as we tracked data, it wasn't surprising to see Emmarentia and surrounds as one of...