The South African Energy Crisis

Dear readers,

Many of you are from South Africa, in that regard, you need no introduction to, nor explanation of, the South African energy crisis. You’re most likely just as frustrated as I am, and your livelihoods have probably also been compromised to varying degrees as a result of the national rolling blackouts unless, of course, you are wealthy or privileged enough to not rely on the national power grid as your only source of electricity.

For those of you who aren’t affected by the energy crisis and those of you from other parts of the world; I invite you to keep reading about what it’s like living with limited, rationed access to water and electricity; how it has affected my productivity and mental health, what I’m doing to mitigate some of the struggles, and how I’ve had to adjust to this new kind of normal…

Imagining a life without Electricity

One does not realize how reliant one has become on electricity until one no longer has access to it. Thinking back to what life must’ve been like before the industrialization of electricity, it almost feels somewhat bizarre that I cannot fathom life without it. Humans existed for thousands of years before the industrialization of electricity.

Thousands of years ago, the mere concept of electrically powered tools and technology would’ve seemed crazy - perhaps even unthinkable. Humans have had access to electricity for a much shorter period than without. How is it that we’ve come to a point where we cannot even imagine life without it?

Everything that I know, and everything that I do requires electricity; Internet access is the most important electrically powered tool for me. My entire life revolves around the internet. It’s my social outlet, my source of income, my source of education and entertainment, and I honestly don’t know what to do without it. Electricity has become such a basic part of life that one does not even think about it until it’s taken away. The South African energy crisis has been a rude awakening, not just for myself, but also for the majority of South Africans.

I almost feel weak for relying so heavily on something that humanity has managed to live without for thousands of years before the industrialization thereof. Surely I too can live without it, and find things to do that do not require access to, or the use of, electricity? It can’t be that hard, can it? But wouldn’t that be like going backward? Surely, in this modern age, access to electricity has become a basic need and a basic human right? Or have I just become too reliant on modern infrastructure? It’s ridiculous that it has come to this, and that I’m even sitting here thinking about it. But what else am I supposed to do when I’m left alone in the dark with nothing but my thoughts? The South African energy crisis feels like a time machine, kicking us back by about four hundred years.

I’ve become so reliant on electricity; feeling so entitled to it, that I can’t even imagine what I would’ve done with my life if I lived ~400 years ago, can you?

Loadshedding’s impact on Productivity, Finances, and Mental Health

These continuous national rolling blackouts, known as Loadshedding, have dire consequences, not only on one’s productivity, income opportunities, and quality of life but also on one’s mental health and overall well-being.

Here’s how it’s affecting me personally:

No power also means no water. I live with family in a house where our only water source is a borehole powered by an electric pump. Whenever the power goes out, we have no access to running water either. This means no flushing toilets, no washing hands, no bathing or showering, and no rinsing dishes. Not to mention the other essential utilities that also require power such as running the dishwasher, the laundry machines, the oven, the fridge, and the freezer, etc. Nothing works without electricity.

No power means no productivity. I work from home on business and creative projects such as CloudPress Studio, Denter Clothing, and electronic music production. I’m also enrolled at Ashworth College, furthering my formal education. Whenever the power goes out, I lose access to my desktop computer and studio equipment, completely killing my productivity.

This negatively impacts my mental health to the point where I often feel too depressed to even be able to do anything during the brief moments when we do have power. I have to push and force myself to get up and make the most of whatever short time the government decides to allocate electricity to our area. Sometimes I succeed and I get a couple of things done. Often I’m too busy trying to deal with laundry and other household chores that there’s no time left for business or creative projects before the power goes off again. It frequently comes down to the choice between having clean clothes and bedding, or staying dirty and putting time towards business and creative projects instead, if I’m not too depressed and discouraged to be creative. There’s rarely enough electricity uptime for both, or I’m just really bad at time management, but there’s only so much one can do in 3-4 hours before the power goes off again.

One can’t even effectively plan around these rolling blackouts because, even though they’re pre-scheduled according to different stages, the government frequently changes the stages without warning. We have no idea what stage we’ll be on when, so the published schedules are useless. We mainly rely on 55-minute pre-blackout warnings. Imagine living with the constant stress of not knowing when that warning will pop up again, and when it does, you only have 55 minutes left to finish whatever you’re currently doing. It’s extremely stressful!

Here’s how I’m mitigating some of the struggles:

I’ve recently purchased a UPS with just enough battery power to keep the Fibre box, Wifi Router, and my mobile phone operational during blackouts. This allows me to do as much as I can using my phone. I can process Denter Clothing orders, respond to Cloudpress Studio email queries, and remain active on social media during blackouts, but for everything else, I need access to my desktop computer. I would love to acquire a Portable Power Station powerful enough to run all of my equipment. but unfortunately, I’m not in a financial position to do that at the moment. For now, the UPS that I recently bought is my only salvation. At least I still have internet access and a working mobile phone during blackouts.

Powerless but hope still remains

Despite the seemingly hopeless situation, I have not given up the hope that a better life awaits - if I work hard enough to make it so. I keep doing what I can, where I am, with what I have, to the best of my abilities, and as resources allow.

Many have accepted the status quo while others have given up on the prospect of a fulfilling life in this country and have moved abroad. Unfortunately, I am not in a position to do so. All I can do is hold onto hope, and do whatever I can to make things bearable and eventually, hopefully, even great and fulfilling.

Thank you for your support!

I would like to say thank you to those who have supported me; be it through listening to my music, ordering my clothing, making use of my services, or sending tips and donations through my social media and crowd-funding channels. With your support, I am still able to keep my servers up, keep my internet connection going, and keep my hopes and dreams alive. Thank you! 💛