Power Troubles

All of my classes for today were cancelled because power is out on most of Upper Campus. I don't have any idea why the power failed, all I know is that the electricity went off in the buildings where I have my classes. It's a rather cloudy day, so it was too dark in the rooms to have class. As I was discussing this with some of my classmates, one girl said, "This is so third world!" as she began sending a text message on her cell phone. I thought about it for a minute, then disagreed. "Third world" would be not having power at all, and she'd have a rock in her hand instead of a phone.

The situation reminded me of the power outages a few years ago on the east coast of the U.S. To name a more recent example, I could point to my home town in January of this year when a huge ice storm knocked out power for several days. Power outages often occur in the U.S., albeit usually caused by natural disasters of various sorts.

While I don't find this power outage strange, I do find the South African power system a little... quirky. In many areas of Cape Town, power is prepaid. You put Rand in for your power, then when the money runs out your power shuts off immediately. Some homes have the U.S.-style billing, but the prepay system has been implemented to keep people from getting into debt. Cell phones work the same way: you purchase minutes and enter them into your phone, then when they run out you lose the ability to make outgoing calls until you purchase more minutes.

This left me with a really amusing image: the University on prepaid power. I can just imagine classrooms full of students during finals week and all of a sudden the Rand runs out on the University account and everyone is plunged into darkness mid-essay. A University employee, probably somebody in lower-level administration, is then seen running down the mountain toward the local gas station to put more Rand on the University account. I'm sure that isn't the way it actually works, but I really like the image!