Blackouts & Barbed Wire

Why is South Africa so crime ridden? For starters, the unemployment rate varies from 25 to 44% throughout the country. Many people are desperate.

Everywhere we go, houses and apartment complexes are ringed with electric fences, barbed wire, and security plaques warning of an “armed response.”

Although SA sells electricity to seven other African nations, they don’t have enough electricity to meet their own needs, and despite the abundance of sun and wind, they remain dependent on coal and Russian oil rather than gain energy independence by embracing solar and wind power on a large scale.

As one guide put it, “South African people do not have the government that we deserve. They tell us it is too expensive to shift to green energy, but really it’s because certain politicians line their pockets at the expense of citizens. It is a very corrupt system.”

SA’s energy situation translates as rolling blackouts for its citizens. Today, for instance, our guide informed us that electricity would be cut from noon until 2pm, 6pm until 10pm, and again from midnight until 6am.

The electricity outages vary from neighborhood to neighborhood and from day to day. The exact schedule can be found on an app.

Shopkeepers find this frustrating, of course, especially the ones who can’t afford generators or solar panels. They lose a lot of business, obviously, and,”When the power is off, it makes them ripe for criminals.”

A hairdresser told our friend that she hates living here now because of how bad the crime has gotten. Even some of our tour guides quietly told us that while they love their country, they would move away if they could.

Even though America is far from perfect, it certainly makes me aware of how lucky I am to live in the USA. Travel is a good eye opener.Read more