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From the editor’s desk: Dark times

Although the timing is more coincidence than anything else, this issue includes a feature on power management. Given the latest news we’re hearing and experiencing from Eskom and the length and breadth and depth of its corruption and incompetence, however, it couldn’t have come at a better time.

Sadly we don’t have enough pages to include all of the editorial we have on power management, but if you want to find out more, there will be a few additional articles online which will also be featured in Hi-Tech Security Solutions’ newsbriefs throughout the month of April.

I was asked recently how long it would take the country to recover from the losses incurred as a result of there being no electricity for businesses. Of course, I am not qualified to answer a question like that, but common sense would dictate that a recovery, if we ever reach the stage where we can start recovering, would take years, if not decades. I hope I’m wrong.

A question I have is who could possibly think that just ignoring equipment would not have a detrimental effect on it? We service our cars, even fridges and microwaves need a bit of attention now and then. But apparently power generation plants and distribution centres run forever because Harry Potter put a never-break spell on them.

You have to feel sorry for our current president. Apart from experiencing the efficiency of South Africa’s rail system (although he had bodyguards so he wasn’t attacked, murdered or thrown off a train, or all three), he basically caught a hospital kick. His predecessor and his pals looted to their hearts’ content and he’s left playing political games with politicians who refuse to stop the looting irrespective of the consequences (consequences to the country and its people, we know they will never pay for their crimes) while being side-swiped by Eskom and all the other bits and pieces of South Africa that are falling apart. I wonder how long it will be before water shedding becomes a common word?

It’s not all gloom, however. At the end of 2017 direct foreign investment in SA was at a low point, the lowest in a decade thanks to the looters, but at the end of 2018 there had been an increase of over 400% by some reports, with large pledges of more to come. Of course, not too many people will invest billions if their businesses sit in the dark for half the day (or more since Eskom is said to be preparing for stages 5 and 6 mass blackouts, I mean ‘load shedding’).

I suppose we should all hope that the conspiracy theorists are right and that there will be a miracle cure for Eskom just before the elections, or maybe the Chinese will take it over, they seem to be quite efficient. What a change that will be.

Andrew Seldon

Editor

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