Load shedding will be solved next month.
The same month in which Prasa plans to launch the country’s new passenger trains, right here in the Western Cape.
How can I be so sure?
Well, because next month is April, the month before the general elections in May.
And I know if there are two things that will make Capetonians very happy right now, it is solving the trains and electricity problems we are forced to deal with daily.
Both problems are national issues, but of course “solving” them in the Western Cape first will bring the biggest electoral reward.
Like the trains, load shedding affects almost all business.
My radio station has been going off intermittently, because of load shedding.
I saw several people leave their trolleys at the cashiers’ area on Sunday because the store’s card facilities weren’t working.
In fact, I have experienced that in several stores over the past few weeks; all because of load shedding.
Companies are losing hours of valuable production time because computers can’t be turned on.
This all translates into shrinking bottom lines, which means jobs are on the line.
Solve this problem - even just temporarily in the Western Cape - and you secure quite a few votes for yourself; even though these are problems of your own making.
And those shiny new blue-and-white trains that will be tested in Cape Town from next week look awesome.
They are coming with aircon and passenger-to-driver communication.
Most importantly, the trains are said to be fireproof.
Also, they come with CCTV cameras meant to address vandalism.
It gives me hope, because the last time I was on a train, there were virtually no seats or windows in first class.
I also remember the last time Cape Town got the silver trains with the cool door-closing sound. It must have been in the 1990s and we were all very excited when those trains pulled into the platform.
But soon the novelty wore off.
Irrespective of the political motive, this is a chance for us to start anew and to take good care of our assets.
We mustn’t let a few mindless vandals destroy all our nice things every time.