Power to the people — we must reclaim the supply of electricity as a common good

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s statement this week that South Africans should use electricity sparingly if we are to salvage something from the energy grid, has a solid ring to it — never mind the nattering classes’ silliness. Yes, I know. Sit down at the back and pay attention! 

Blame and responsibility for rolling blackouts have been raised over and again — as we say in Afrikaans, die hele ding is holrug gery — so, in some ways, there is little to gain from banging on about it. This is not to say we should not keep the government’s feet to the fire. Not at all. The point is that since we cannot rely on the state (I sincerely believe that Ramaphosa and a very small group of people are doing the best possible), we the people may want to consider restoration or preservation of whatever energy we have as a common good, for which we all carry some responsibility. I feel a bit nauseated saying “we the people”; it makes me sound like a two-bit punk at a Trump rally. Anyway… 

There is no use in sitting back and complaining that it’s not our fault, it’s their fault, so they must fix it. We can blame Eskom — as we should — we can blame the ruling alliance, we can blame Ramaphosa, we can blame Pravin Gordhan, we can blame Thabo Mbeki, but guess what? The lights will not magically turn on.  

I am reminded of a story, the specifics of which elude me, but the story goes something like this: A small rural town’s water supply is undrinkable. The public blames the water department; the water department blames the municipality; the municipality blames the local politicians; the local politicians blame the unions; the unions blame the bosses and capitalism — and the blame game starts all over again. While all this is going on, the water remains undrinkable and the consumers look aghast at the drama before them. 

This, I believe, is where we are with our electricity supply. Let’s face it, it is in the interest of every South African that there is a reliable supply of electricity. Whether you’re a homeowner, a factory or business operator, a service provider, a teacher or a medical doctor. Sure, it’s easy to kvetch, but there is something to be said about taking up the cudgels, adjusting our patterns of consumption, adapting our behaviour and taking the common good more seriously. 

Some of us buy prepaid electricity. Out of habit, I switch off the lights when I leave a room, and turn off appliances when they are not in use. I use small solar panels to charge my cellphone and emergency lights. I installed gas for cooking and for heating water. I have no doubt that there are tens of thousands of people who behave responsibly when it comes to electricity conservation. Consider how we managed to conserve water during the crisis in Cape Town, how those practices remained part of our lives and how we changed consumption patterns.  

We can’t rely on those who govern