Everyone in South Africa knows what the dreaded “loadshedding” is. Yes it is the latest challenge
South Africans and South African Businesses face. It not only places huge amount of strain on various
businesses, but also opens up a portal for crime. When it comes to security systems, alarms may
fail, battery back-ups can only last so long, and even communication networks suffer in the event of
emergencies. Armed Response officers can take a while to get to an emergency call, due to traffic
jams because traffic lights are out. The list of problems goes on and on.

However you don’t have to fall victim to crime during loadshedding. Here are some safety
loadshedding tips to keep you and your family guarded:
1. Make sure the alarm system’s battery is fully charged and in working condition so that it is
still activated especially during the dark hours of the night and early mornings.
2. Always have a strong and reliable physical security solution in place to serve as your last line
of defence like burglar bars or retractable security gates.
3. Make sure you always have security gates and doors locked especially when loadshedding
starts and have the keys nearby.
4. Invest in creating an Inscape TM for your family. This usually is the part of the house where you
sleep which is cordoned off into a safe area. With this in place, you will have enough warning
time to react in case of burglars entering your house while sleeping and if the alarm stopped
working.
5. If you have a garage door or shutters installed, make sure you know how to manage them
when the power is out, especially if they have a motor. Make sure this battery is always
charged, and or you have access to the manual override systems.
6. Get to know your neighbours and save their contact details as emergency numbers so as to
alert them in case of an emergency.
7. Make sure you stay on top of the loadshedding schedule so that you can prepare for enough
lights and torches to assist you during blackouts.
8. Avoid making leisure calls and save your phone battery for emergencies.

There are many ways you can safeguard your loved ones. The main thing is to be prepared and try to
cover as many avenues as possible to make your home ‘crime-resistant’. Although loadshedding is
an opportunity for criminals to act, Maxidor products help you create a barrier which will give you
valuable time to react.