COLUMN – Ah, South Africa, where electricity is as unpredictable as the weather—sometimes there is light, sometimes not, and always leaving you in the dark when you need it most. Last week was a shining example of Eskom’s continued commitment to keeping us on our toes.

The week started with a four-hour load-shedding session, conveniently reintroduced after a blissful election period without so much as a flicker.
Of course, the government insists that the timing was purely coincidental.
And, of course, we all believe them…
Just like we believed Jacob Zuma when he declared there would “never, ever be load-shedding again…”
By midweek, my internal body clock had fully adjusted to Eskom Standard Time. Waking up at 03:45 to shower before the next blackout? Normal.
Navigating the house with the agility of a bat in a cave? Standard. Then came the no load-shedding power outage—because apparently, our power grid enjoys spontaneous breakdowns just for the thrill of it. As if that wasn’t enough, my trusty fibre internet decided to join the chaos—right on deadline, naturally. Because what is an editor’s life without a little extra stress? And yet, work had to go on! Power or no power, internet or no internet, the deadlines remained. At this point, I’m convinced Eskom is secretly training us all in crisis management.
What will next week bring? A miracle? A total blackout? A carrier pigeon based WiFi replacement?
Only time (and Eskom) will tell…