The Price of Power

And so it's come to this. Years of poor or no planning and no apparent concern for maintaining or improving infrastructure (specifically the power grid) ... and now South Africans face a 24.8% increase in the price of electricity. From the BBC.

South African trade unions are threatening strikes after the country's government allowed state-owned power firm Eskom to raise prices by 24.8%.

Both consumers and businesses will struggle with significantly higher electricity bills, unions argue.

And it gets worse...

However Eskom has also been permitted to increase electricity prices by a further 25% next year and again in 2012.

Well, this is obviously not good for the economy. This is the point of the article. But what about the average consumer who suddenly has to pay an extra 1/4 on his electricity. And who faces a future of further  price hikes. When I was just starting out in Cape Town years ago, this would have killed me.

Who's running this show?

Khaya Dlanga at the Mail and Guardian says that SA "prisons have a propensity for creating greatness".  And he refers to Winston Churchill, Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela all of whom spent time in an SA prison or some form of captivity (Churchill) and then went on to be a great leader somewhere.

Okay, let's not forget current President Zuma was also in jail. And Julius Malema probably should be.

But what about that guy, Skollie? From Vyfster. I think he was great and the way things are going now he'd probably do as well as or better as SA president.That guy could organize! There would be electricity that everyone could afford. Not just Malema to light up his houses and Zuma to keep his platoon of children and grandchildren in functioning PlayStations.

 

POWER TO THE PEOPLE.... Yeah, right!