Talking to my mother on the public holiday yesterday, I was struck by how gloomy she sounded. Normally upbeat, she has been worn down by a brutal week of loadshedding. Did I know, she asked me, that government is worried that there won’t be electricity at all the polling booths come election time?
This aura of unhappiness is spreading across the country – it turns out there’s nothing like blackouts to make people feel dark. But keep in mind that there may be a silver lining to this dark Eskom cloud.
I have just heard President Cyril Ramaphosa on 702 Radio that Eskom load shedding is something we should not panic about, and that we should take collective responsibility for finding the solution. Mr President, I personally reject with contempt any Responsibility for Eskom woes
— Herman Mashaba (@HermanMashaba) March 19, 2019
Before the loadshedding, Ramaphosa had done a great job of turning around people’s feelings about the ANC. But after the last few weeks, it’s hard to imagine that at least a few people won’t be thinking about shopping elsewhere in May. Opposition parties may be the beneficiaries of voter anger. And that would be good for South Africa’s democracy. After 25 years of ANC rule and a lost decade, some meaningful political competition is long overdue. Let’s hope that SA’s opposition parties are ready to take advantage of this window of opportunity.
