Load Shedding Anyone?

The fact that South Africa is a developing nation has been ringing home the last two weeks as the whole country has been gripped with “Load Shedding” a euphemism for the utilities shutting down power for several hours a day due to inadequate supplies of electricity. The power plants and transfer stations that should have been developed since apartheid to provide electricity for an industrialized developed nation were handed over to the private sector to build. Alas, since electricity here is a cheap commodity the private sector could not profitably build the infrastructure needed. Voila! The country is short of power with no easy short term fixes.

So what does “Load Shedding” mean for Peace Corps volunteers at a rural site where the power supply is inconsistent anyway? The summer thunderstorms cause numerous outages and one is advised to cook early in the day as electricity provides the only means of heating food on that handy-dandy hot plate. Two weeks ago the power went off suddenly in the morning and did not return until the next day. The day was not stormy so there appeared to be no explanation for the outage. The next day the outage lasted most of the day and finally came back on at 630pm in time to cook dinner. A radio report announced the bad news- the whole country was blacked out for several hours a day. There was no excess capacity and the utility company required each municipality to decide who and when to cut each day. By the fourth or fifth day everyone was getting cranky about the power as there was no pattern to the shut offs. After one week the shut downs took on a pattern with 3 hours out in the morning and two hours from 4 to 6pm. Moods improved when people learned how to plan. However, business losses were huge and traffic came to a standstill as the robots (traffic lights) in the cities did not work not to mention the electrical security fences that guard most of JoBurg. Most retail stores tried to stay open but there were few customers that ventured into town to shop. The tram heading up Table Mountain was stuck part way up. This week the platinum and gold mines had to close, causing the prices to rise and the stock market here to take a nosedive.

The Bonds were prepared for the power outages with their flashlights, headlamps, and candles. Our one room flat was lit up like a scene from a romantic movie. However after the third night of eating cold food and hauling out the old wine bottles used as candle holders the scene grew tiresome. The outages were taking their toll on our food supply with pungent smells coming from the frig. Fortunately after a week the power came on promptly at 630pm in time to cook dinner. At first we joked that the poor in the rural areas were required to sacrifice their sole means of cooking so that the rich in Durban could run their air conditioners during a heat wave but the problem is more complex than a brownout from excessive demand.

Last weekend we muddled whether to take the taxi to town or stay on the mountain, not knowing whether there was power in town. We needed groceries and a change of scenery after being at Mountain High for two weeks. We caught Mr. Zulu’s taxi and checked into our b and b. The young girl at the desk said we had our choice of rooms as the lodge and town were empty. We took a back room away from the road which was a mistake as it faces the rear of a slaughter house which had one of the few generators in town. Promptly at 10am and 4pm, as soon as the power went down, the noisy generator cranked up.

So what to do this weekend when TV and computers were idle? We hiked up the Vryheid Hill to spot game. Not only did we see eland, zebras, bushbuck, and impala, but their n flourishing new born young out learning the ropes. Ever see a baby zebra nurse? The impalas were shy and quickly routed their babies to protected covens. The small impalas had strong legs, however, and were able to run in time with their guardians. The impalas have a lovely grace and are a beautiful combination of white underbelly, wide tan stripe above the white and a chestnut brown top. The colors reminded me of Scotchmallow fondants at Sees Candies in the US. We were the only hikers in the preserve and chatted with the game warden on the hike down the hill. He was interested in getting the track repaired so more people could drive through the lovely preserve. I retorted that the game and atmosphere would drastically change if more vehicles braved the steep road. However, it was a shame that more people did not take advantage of the beautiful sights just a short walk from town. .

We felt restored after seeing the game and listening to the beautiful bird calls. Back at the B and B we wondered what to do for dinner and headed across the street to Dee’s, Vryheid’s finest restaurant. Dees’ is a classic South African restaurant with grilled meats and baby chicken, fish, crayfish ,and prawns and of course Greek salad which is on every restaurant in this country. (Someone must have wondered what to do with all the goats’ milk in SA, “Hey, why not make feta and popularize Greek salad). Garlic snails, mushrooms and side sauces like spicy peri-peri and monkey gland are universal on all menus. Meats include steaks, lamb chops, Rump and of course Ladies Rump at a discount. Dees has an elegant dining room and features upscale delights like steak stuffed with mussels or prawns with entrees being less than $10, sweet for Peace Corps budgets. I have made it a note to try Monkey Gland before returning home if only to find out its true source.

This night was a special annual event at Dee’s. Two rock bands had been hired to play 60’s, 70’s and 80’s goodies outside on their patio overlooking a beautiful garden with old growth trees, flowers and fountains. We asked to sit outside to listen to the bands and the waitress cautioned that the bands might be too loud for us. We told her not to worry and spent a lovely summer night listening to Our Music and finally feeling that we knew the culture and what was going on. This is what we have missed-the element of being in a crowd for pleasure, enjoyment and fun and not having to guess what is proper behavior. We were able to relax and just be another music lover rather than the object of curiosity or an outsider. The pleasure was great and diminished the power frustrations. The evocative music lasted into the next day as we headed back to the Hospital with the sounds of the Beatles and Sweet Alabama ringing in our ears.