About 2 weeks ago South Africans were informed that ESKOM (Electricity Supply Commission) who is responsible for all of South Africa's electricity needs could no longer supply the entire country with electricity.
Since then they started doing load shedding, which means that they switch of the electricity in certain areas in order to be able to supply other areas with electricity. This can last anything from 3 hours to 8 hours daily, and the whole country in effected by it (mostly metropolitan areas).
When Elton John performed here a week ago, his entire show had to be done on massive generators. All the gold and platinum mines were shut down today for the first time in 60 years. Remember that we are one of the largest gold and platinum producers worldwide. If your money is in Gold trading shares, you were smiling today, the value climbed with $50.
The government informed municipalities that no new power will be allowed on the current grid, therefor all new housing developments will stop. The load shedding happens without any prior warning, so you can't plan for it. The one moment all is fine, the next moment the entire city is in darkness.
The government were enformed about the problem in the mid nineties, but did nothing about it. To build a new power plant will take 7 years, so the problem doesn't have a short term solution. Our first speed train (Gautrain is it's name, derived from the name of the province Gauteng + train) which was planned to be completed for the 2010 World Cup Soccer which we are hosting, will no longer meet the deadline.
The Rand dropped 1.3% against the $.
What's the situation like on the ground...chaos. Traffic is a nightmare. People phone the radio stations to tell them they have only managed to make 200m progess in half an hour. The radio presenters tells us they're sitting by candle light. When we're at the office and the power goes off, everyone goes home. I'd hate to know what it's doing to the economy.
Crime is on the increase, because people's alarm systems are off. Surgeons are not allowed to perform operations on back up power, they can only finish it on back up power (this I heard from a colleague who's father in law is a surgeon), so all operations are postponed. Mother's can't sterilize their babies' bottles.
All in all, just one major disaster. On the upside, we have barbeque every night.
Since then they started doing load shedding, which means that they switch of the electricity in certain areas in order to be able to supply other areas with electricity. This can last anything from 3 hours to 8 hours daily, and the whole country in effected by it (mostly metropolitan areas).
When Elton John performed here a week ago, his entire show had to be done on massive generators. All the gold and platinum mines were shut down today for the first time in 60 years. Remember that we are one of the largest gold and platinum producers worldwide. If your money is in Gold trading shares, you were smiling today, the value climbed with $50.
The government informed municipalities that no new power will be allowed on the current grid, therefor all new housing developments will stop. The load shedding happens without any prior warning, so you can't plan for it. The one moment all is fine, the next moment the entire city is in darkness.
The government were enformed about the problem in the mid nineties, but did nothing about it. To build a new power plant will take 7 years, so the problem doesn't have a short term solution. Our first speed train (Gautrain is it's name, derived from the name of the province Gauteng + train) which was planned to be completed for the 2010 World Cup Soccer which we are hosting, will no longer meet the deadline.
The Rand dropped 1.3% against the $.
What's the situation like on the ground...chaos. Traffic is a nightmare. People phone the radio stations to tell them they have only managed to make 200m progess in half an hour. The radio presenters tells us they're sitting by candle light. When we're at the office and the power goes off, everyone goes home. I'd hate to know what it's doing to the economy.
Crime is on the increase, because people's alarm systems are off. Surgeons are not allowed to perform operations on back up power, they can only finish it on back up power (this I heard from a colleague who's father in law is a surgeon), so all operations are postponed. Mother's can't sterilize their babies' bottles.
All in all, just one major disaster. On the upside, we have barbeque every night.