Ten days in a row with electricity? Heaven

The rich rusty reds, golden browns, bright oranges and yellows of autumn have largely been replaced by the dusty coloured leaves littering sidewalks, leaving trees naked and unable to catch the bitterly cold berg winds floating over the snow-capped mountains.

Autumn has always been my favourite season, the cooling down of summer and a caution to prepare for the winter ahead. Not that summer was terribly hot, it feels like we’ve had warmer.

The summer rains were definitely, for me, on the cooler side and the autumn rains, while unusual and unexpected in the volume we’ve had in Joburg, have been chilly at the least. Most unexpected, has been waking up for the past three days to electricity.

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Of course, the stage 3 load shedding is still there and everyone is waiting for the hammer to drop on another breakdown.

No more so than residents of Windsor Glen and Robindale, who had no electricity for more than a week. When the Windsor Glen mini-substation was replaced, it was found to be duff when it almost immediately tripped after being switched on.

The Robindale mini-sub took even longer to switch on but, as of last Tuesday, seems to be functioning. Fingers crossed they stay on and this piece doesn’t jinx what has obviously been a harrowing experience.

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Of course, the failure of the Orlando switching station due to theft which supplies Rand Water with electricity doesn’t bode well for the residents affected.

Nor does news of trips/outages/failures of City Power infrastructure at – deep breath here – Mayibuye 1 and 2 and Rabie Ridge Extension 5, Westfield substation, Northriding Boundary Park, Ferndale, Hurlingham, Bryanston, Industria and Hursthill lines which caught fire, parts of Alex, and on and on, ad nauseam, ad infinitum.

It’s not hard to imagine how our early ancestors having discovered fire hundreds of thousands of years ago must have felt. I think we feel the same when we flick a switch and the power is actually on. Relief, because of warmth and we can see and cook; a little fear because we don’t really know when Eskom will shut us down and for how long; and urgency as we fly around doing homework, charging devices and trying to get as much done as possible.

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The spectre of load shedding, like winter trees looming at dark, is always there. We’re supposed to be snuggled under skins in our tribes around a roaring fire enjoying a braai and then, as the fire dies down and waking up ready for the cold day ahead, refreshed in spite of the brittle weather.

Now, we go to sleep not knowing if we will have “fire” at night and stressed there may not be fire in the morning because the neighbouring tribe, those damn Eskomites, has stolen all our wood.

A technologically advanced society has more in common with age-old ancestors than it does with much of the rest of the world.

Next week, I’ll be travelling to China as a guest of Xinhua national media and its government and, more than anything, I’m looking forward to a week of permanent power.

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And warmth as the northern hemisphere spring blossoms. Of course, there will be the tourism opportunities but, man, 10 days in a row with electricity? Heaven.