Forget the blame game and sort out this Eskom mess, once and for all

The effects of load shedding will haunt this country for years to come. With no end in sight – many believe we are currently in stage 7 of load shedding even though it’s dressed up as stage 6 – people’s lives and businesses have been horribly disrupted by the inconsistent power supply.

Frustration, anger and disappointment is a daily occurrence for the majority of South Africans. Throwing away rotting food, sitting in traffic for hours and having to replan your daily schedule to fit in cooking and making sure homework is done while the lights are on, is not good after months of load shedding.

We won’t even begin to talk about the negative effect it has had on our economy and tourism. It was only a matter of time before it took its toll mentally.

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Psychologist Lana Blok said: “As soon as an individual feels they don’t have control, anxiety kicks in and if this continues it may affect depression levels. Whatever the causes of anxiety and depression, it could lead to suicide. If that’s the case, there is much more going on with the individual than just load shedding.”

Throw in personal issues and you have a ticking time bomb.

Janine Shamos, senior counsellor at the South African Depression and Anxiety Group, agreed: “It’s important to actually acknowledge load shedding has more than just a physical impact. We know that medically it’s a serious problem. I have an aunt who’s on oxygen, so when her power goes out, it literally becomes a matter of life and death if it’s out for too long. People with kids or loved ones on medication that needs to be refrigerated, all of that kind of stuff is a very big health issue.”

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The exit of Eskom CEO André de Ruyter due to his explosive interview has seen plenty of finger pointing. But what all the politicians forget, is it’s the people that suffer. Forget the blame game and sort out this mess, once and for all.