The UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) has issued a warning on South Africa’s state of disaster in the power sector.
President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a state of disaster in a recent speech. The US issued a warning to its citizens in mid-February about the impact of power outages – drawing criticism from South African officials.
The FCDO has warned that amid power cuts there is a greater risk of criminal activity. There may be inoperable traffic lights that provide opportunities for hijacking, it said, or residential security systems may fail.
Those in South Africa should check with accommodation to see what measures there are to mitigate load shedding, while also checking the planned outages with Eskom.
The FCDO said people should prepare for “prolonged power outages”.
Its tips include writing down or memorising emergency contact numbers and having a communication plan. Those in country should carry a power bank and have portable lighting options, such as a torch.
People should also ensure access to medicine and first aid, while also identifying safe areas nearby, such as hospitals, hotels and police stations.
There may be an unpredictable impact on water provision and telecommunications, the UK department warned. Local authorities may warn against drinking tap water when there are concerns over quality, it noted.
Prepper warning
Many of the steps suggested by the UK echo those from the US. The US Embassy in South Africa warned that load shedding would extend beyond 2023 and that the problems have “led to an increase in protests and demonstrations, and in some cases civil unrest, throughout the country”.
The US embassy went on to counsel that people should keep 72 hours of supplies at home through the stock piling of non-perishable food and three litres of drinking water per person per day.
International Relations and Cooperation Minister Dr Naledi Pandor described the US warnings as “rather surprising and odd. I don’t recall such alerts being issued when California had similar blackouts and outages to South Africa.
“I find it a rather odd warning. But there has been rather many of these warnings and none of which is warned about has come to fruition.”
The UK also faced the prospect of running short of power this winter, with National Grid warning of “supply interruptions to customers” for short periods. While there were periods where it took steps to manage demand, the UK has not faced anything like South Africa’s load shedding.
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