Load-shedding makes most South Africans feel despondent about the future of the country. This is according to the latest study by BrandMapp and SilverstoneCIS, which looked at the effects of rolling blackouts on the country’s taxpaying base.
The online study targeted respondents living in households with R10,000+ income, those most able to mitigate the debilitating effects of Eskom’s load-shedding.
“We focus on the estimated 13-million individuals who comprise 100% of the personal taxpayer base. They are the lucky ones, the most resilient segment of society, who are best positioned to be able to buy themselves out of blackouts.
“If we can get a measure of how they are handling things, it might allow us to plan better, or differently for the future, and at least give us insight into some of the hidden costs of our energy crisis.
“And at the same time, it will give us an idea of just how hard life in the dark must be for the millions of lower-income citizens who have far fewer options,” said BrandMapp director of storytelling Brandon de Kock.
According to the results of the study, 82% of mid- to top-income South Africans say load-shedding makes them despondent about the future of our country, which came out as the most personal impact of load-shedding with “increased costs” in second place with just 70%.
The blackout effect on home lives
The average SA Blackout report respondent ticked no less than seven different ways that they are affected by blackouts at home.
More than 70% of mid- to top-income South Africans can’t reliably prepare meals at home, stay connected to the internet and keep their devices charged up.
Over 60% are left in the dark without functioning security services and have broken appliances due to power surges.
More than 50% said they can’t watch TV or stream entertainment such as Netflix, while 35% can’t listen to the radio.
“Almost 50% said that they cannot study or read, and when you isolate the students, that number rockets up to 80%. Tech issues aside, it also affects the basics of life with more than 50% unable to wash their clothes and 19% finding their house cleaning disrupted,” said De Kock.
How does it feel?
Sense of safety is also shattered, something that can’t be afforded in SA with its high crime rates. As many as 65% of mid- to top-income South Africans believe their personal safety is compromised by power failure.
The blackout affect on work lives
As much as 72% of SA’s taxpayers said blackouts have affected their work life negatively, and productivity is the biggest casualty. Young people are disproportionately affected by the loss of work opportunities, which is deeply concerning in the context of the country’s high youth unemployment rate.
De Kock said what is also significant is that almost 30% of respondents reported that staff safety and security are compromised during load-shedding, and 21% note an increase in theft during blackouts.
What is happening to South African SMEs?
Twenty-two percent of business owners have experienced a significant loss of business revenue, and 33% say they have lost some billings due to blackouts.
Seventy-five percent say their personal costs have increased.
Coping by candlelight and the costs of resilience
The mid- to top-income bracket finds 61% of South Africans resort to candle power during load-shedding hours.
“We’ve been forced back 100 years! When candle power is the best solution, you have to know there’s a problem. Only 32% have pivoted to gas. Battery packs and UPS backups help some get through the load-shedding hours. However, the deployment of full solutions such as inverters and generators is low, and no doubt that is linked to high costs that are simply out of reach for most middle-income South Africans,” De Kock said.
The SA Blackout Report found lower-income households have less to spend on power solutions, and it’s only the top-income households that can invest in technologies such as solar-powered inverter systems.
According to the report, most lower-income households have not been able to spend more than R5,000 to keep the lights on and stay connected, unlike 20% of wealthy households who have been able to throw more than R30,000 at the problem.
Almost 90% of respondents said they are still planning to spend more of their hard-earned cash on power solutions and about half of them say they can invest more than R15,000 to fight blackouts.
Laying the blame, finding fixes and facing the future
Presented with a range of possible causes, the SA Blackout Report respondents ticked an average of five out of eight.
“This indicates that the taxpaying adults do realise just how big and complex the power problem is. Not surprisingly, corruption and criminality is on top of just about everyone’s list, with 92% recognising that their country is being fleeced by criminals,” De Kock said.
The future is not so bright
De Kock said BrandMapp typically favours taking a glass-half-full view but noted that’s extremely hard right now.
“When the most positive thing you can say is that there is clearly a heightened sense of urgency and anxiety in the populace, that still sounds half-empty! We’ve got face that 50% of mid- to top-income consumers don’t believe that load-shedding will ever come to an end. That level of despondency is also reflected in other survey data that shows that 58% of young adults say they are considering emigrating because of load-shedding.”
What will it take to fix the crisis?
Seventy percent of respondents believe investments in sustainable energy solutions and policy change are the top two ways to cure the country’s load-shedding ills.
De Kock noted that, while there’s high awareness that getting off the grid is a sustainable solution, the reality is that it’s not affordable for most South Africans.
However, he said they can use their vote, and 62% say not voting for the ANC in 2024 is a necessary response to load-shedding.
“What the SA Blackout Report lays out clearly is that the South African taxpayers are being pushed to the limits — not just of their tolerance but of their ability to remain resilient, productive and positive about the future. At this point, the only thing I can see that will shift the needle, is some sort of meaningful action on the part of the state. Mid-market adults all seem to agree that words alone won’t keep the lights on,” De Kock said.
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