Loadshedding And Then Some

South Africa has this ridiculous system called loadshedding in which the state monopoly power provider switches the electricity off at various points around the country for 2 hours at a time. 

Somehow they think it's all made more acceptable and manageable by having an actual schedule for this nonsense, but this schedule is adaptive depending on which particular stage of loadshedding we happen to be enjoying.

Yes, loadshedding has stages which go up to stage 8, but we seem to bounce between stages 2 & 4 most of the time.

Eskom (the morally & financially bankrupt state monopoly) were warned about their failing infrastructure well over 20 years ago, but the ruling elite were too busy siphoning the cream off the top to worry about the peasants and their unreasonable demands for electricity. Oh how they love their Mercedes Benzes! 

So this morning we had loadshedding from midnight to 2.30am and then sometime around 5am the power went off again and only just came back on at 3.30pm, though folk at the top and bottom of our street are still without power. Go figure?!?

Initially we heard that a transponder had broken down, but now it appears that the blackout (the non-loadshedding one just to be clear) was caused by cable theft. 

Funnily enough, one of our Soup Kitchen regulars was released from prison  early yesterday and he has a well known history of cable theft. It makes you wonder if the two events are connected?