I am currently experiencing high levels of load shedding rage – be warned, this may lead to psychological meltdown during the hours of 06h30 – 23h00.
How can a country expect to function this way? The power was shut off to my suburb three times yesterday – is this not a little excessive?
My mom informed me that the first one happened from 10h00 until 12h00. When I got home from work yesterday I discovered the power was once again off, bringing all plans of going to a gym to a screaming halt. Then, I headed off to the Blues Room in Village Walk to watch some stand up comedy, when at 20h00, once again we were plunged into darkness. I live down the road from the venue so I knew this meant my area was powerless too.
And what really irks me beyond belief is that as I slowly (very slowly) drive home as a result of traffic build up around non-functional robots – everywhere I look I see massive hotel/residential/shopping/business developments going up. How on earth can these guys be awarded the rights to build huge scale developments when even the most basic infrastructure is falling apart around us? Perhaps it’s time we stop pretending we’re a first world country when businesses around South Africa are left, quite literally, in the dark, unable to produce anything and therefore drive our economy?
Apparently Eskom also supplies electricity to our neighbouring countries – Zimbabwe, Mozambique… are our neighbours also included in power cuts because I don’t see them listed anywhere in Eskom’s completely impossible to understand load shedding schedule up on its website.
If it’s like this in summer – what on earth is going to happen in winter?? And how can Eskom really expect the country to continue this way for the next 5 – 10 years?
A rant like this is extremely unusual from me – at the worst of times I’m usually the last bastion of optimism but lately I’m starting change my tune.
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6 comments:
my fish don't get their oxygen when the power is off... that's my only complaint!
luckily where i work the power usually goes off for 2 hours before i go home... and where i live the power usually goes off in the mornings only... so i basically have nothing to complain about!
i'm still waiting for "them" to come out and say "har har this was all a huge practical joke... south africa has now made the guiness book of records for the biggest prank ever...!!
i live in an area where about a million new complexes are going up.
We haven't had any loadshedding yet (thank god)....but i agree. it's bullshit.
and that electricity indicator thingie that they have on SABC at night (that tells you how much electricity is being used in the country_ - my friend works at the SABC and she says it's all a lie anyway. It's a ploy to try get people to switch things off.
I find it funny how it says something like 'switch off all non-essential appliances except TV and lights'....oh really. of course you'd like us to keep watching your crappy channel....
@sweetass - hope your fish are learning how to hold their breath for two hours a day.
To be honest, I'm probably over reacting - although my power was off most of yesterday it didn't change my life in a drastic way and I quite enjoyed drinking wine and smoking hubbly bubbly on my patio with FD by candlelight after our comedy plans were ruined last night.
@expensive mistakes & cheap thrills - lol! I always wondered about that little electricity indictator on SABC and their advice that implies - stop heating your baby's milk, stop cooking for your family and switch off the refrigerator, but stay tuned to find out what's in store for you in next week's episode of Isidingo!
You know that is a really good point that I haven't thought of before. If we barely have enough electricity for what is around now what are they building new places for?!
But apparently in 4 years it'll all be back to normal and they'll have new stations to deal with the surplus. Some weird shit like that.
Windsor in England isn't allowed any new buildings in the main area as the sewer system can't deal with all the tourists around - the toilets always overflood in the summer.
How gross?!
Ah, is our little ray of sunshine turning into a raging cynic then? Can't blame you.
I think its all a corrupt plan instituted by the government and generator and solar power manufacturers to drive those industries. Not entirely the end of the world as this might speed up the quest for more efficient sources of alternative energy. In the long run it will cause an awareness of the devastation of burning fossil fuels and a need to explore our options on a global scale.
At least, thats what I'm hoping for, anyway.
@Miss M - lol, that puts it all into perspective, I'd rather put up with power outages than overflowing sewerage anyday.
@Wiggles - but can solar power really run the kind of equipment we've all become dependent on? I don't understand much on the subject, but I definitely agree that SA needs to change it's attitude of excessive electricity useage - trying to convince my office that it isn't necessary to leave all the lights, air con, radios, television etc on through the night.
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