It is now hundred days since our beloved country South Africa has not been experiencing rolling electricity outages that have come to be painfully known as loadshedding.
Doomsayers warned us that on the 30th of May, a day after the national general elections, the country will again revert to the dreaded intermittent periods of lack of electricity.
To the doomsayers, some of whom are my close friends, I am saying the 30th of May has come and gone, and there is no sign of loadshedding as you guys had predicted.
It was widely reported in the media that the ANC was using the suspension of loadshedding as a ploy to get voters to cast their votes in its favour.
But this assertion has turned out to be a wild, baseless rumour.
I know that naysayers and cynics who are not impressed by the 100-day suspension of loadshedding will scornfully say the following to us:
“Don’t jump the gun, we are not out of the woods yet, as misery still lies ahead.”
But we optimists are really enjoying the hundred days of the suspension of loadshedding to the fullest and when loadshedding strikes again, we shall accept the reality of the situation.
For now we are having fun and constantly rejoice at the ever-availability of electricity.
Blaming us for rejoicing the availability of electricity would be tantamount to blaming us for enjoying life while we are still alive, because we are going to die one day.
As they say, we shall cross that bridge when we come to it, but for now we are engrossed in merry-making due to the availability of electricity.
So, let’s give credit where it is due and pat the government, Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa and President Cyril Ramaphosa on their shoulders for a good job done so far in getting rid of loadshedding.
The first case of loadshedding as we have come to know it happened in October 2007, and the person who is today blamed for loadshedding, namely President Cyril Ramaphosa, was not in the government at that time.
Ramaphosa is being scapegoated by those who refused to listen to advice to replenish Eskom while they were still in power.
And he is also blamed by those who looted Eskom while they were in power.
He is being crucified for the sins of those who came before him.
But instead of pointing accusatory fingers back at his predecessors, he took everything like a stoic, and as the incumbent President of the country, embarked upon fixing Eskom.
For this heroic achievement, I give him due credit.
Instead of cursing the darkness, Ramaphosa has lit the candle, I rest my case.