Now that we are well and truly into the regular SA thing called load-shedding, allow me to question the rationale behind the load-shedding schedule.
Load-shedding is like a children’s round robin tennis tournament: we all have to have a turn. But I cannot understand the shedding from 10pm to 5am, when people are in bed, fast asleep. It hardly makes sense to switch off my fridge for 2½ hours in the middle of the night when it is the only appliance running in my house. Late-night load-shedding also creates a security hazard, with no street lights working, alarm batteries failing and no external household lighting. Why switch off what are likely your best paying, very light consumption customers?
Load-shedding would make a lot more sense during the day. Sure, it is inconvenient, but it will save more power and lessen the hazards mentioned above. Eskom could also gently punish the nonpayers by seriously inconveniencing them without creating criminal zones by leaving whole areas without lights at night.
I dare say the power utility would get more co-operation from people, who may understand the simple rationale of switching off nonessentials during the day to allow essential services to operate. And municipalities could do selective load-shedding, allowing traffic lights to always stay on, for example, and to keep businesses operational.
Peter Gordon Grant
Sedgefield
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