It's a beautiful January evening in South Africa.
On the terrace of a restaurant in Kalk Bay, a small fishing port not far from Cape Town, the air is sweet and the discussions lively around the tables.
The ocean calmly pours its waves into the distance.
When suddenly everything goes black.
No more light, customers are now in darkness.
However, they show no signs of panic.
The emergency generators take a good minute to start and restart the electricity.
You could think of an occasional breakdown.
In reality, all this is part of daily life, that of
load shedding
(or délestage in French).
The establishment was not the only one affected that evening.
Some streets are completely plunged into darkness, forcing some of the customers to return home earlier.
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Appearing at the end of 2007, the phenomenon is far from new.
However, it intensified as the electricity network deteriorated.
Load shedding corresponds to
“an electricity rationing system”
, explains Thierry Vircoulon, associate researcher at the French Institute of International Relations (Ifri) and specialist in South Africa.
“There’s no escaping it because it works on a territorial rotation.”
Load shedding occurs when there is high demand on the national electricity grid, leading to an interruption in supply.
Power cuts are therefore organized according to a precise schedule, which changes from one week to the next, to maintain the electricity network.
These sections, which generally last two hours (except in the case of level 6, i.e. increased load shedding, where they can reach four hours) are different depending on the district and more or less intense depending on the period.
In the country of Nelson Mandela, these untimely outages are associated with a name, that of Eskom, the South African EDF which produces nearly 90% of the country's electricity.
Years of mismanagement and corruption within the state-owned company have significantly affected the power networks.
“Eskom has become the symbol of bad governance in South Africa
,” summarizes Thierry Vircoulon.
And some years have been harder than others, like 2023 considered one of the worst, with a record 332 days of load shedding across the country.
So many difficulties which severely affect all economic sectors, including tourism (the Rainbow Nation is one of the countries which welcomes the most foreign visitors in Africa).
Professionals have had to adapt, sometimes forcefully, so as not to scare away their international clientele.
“It’s part of the South African experience”
Apart from certain public services such as hospitals, little infrastructure is spared.
“In the past, we were less prepared and that could be a real problem for tourists.
I remember guests leaving hotels because they couldn't get a hot shower.
Today, most people now see it as part of the South African experience
,” says Bevan, a South African guide who works in the Cape Town region, in the southwest of the country.
Whether restaurants, stores or tourist attractions, everyone has learned to erase the undesirable effects of these cuts, through adaptation or investment.
Starting with tourist accommodation which consumes the most electricity.
Many establishments have begun a real change to prevent these “
blackouts
” from reducing their turnover.
Use of generators, use of solar energy or inverters (UPS), which make it possible to maintain an uninterrupted power supply...
“Hotel companies are increasingly autonomous in terms of electricity.
The energy crisis has offered the tourism and hospitality sector an incredible opportunity to accelerate its transition to alternative or green energy sources, at a faster pace,”
Rosemary Anderson, president of Fedhasa,
explains to Le
Figaro
. association which represents professionals in the hotel industry.
In Oudtshoorn, in the Western Cape, a guesthouse we stayed in indicates “load shedding” times for the coming days.
Sophie Vincelot / Le Figaro
Today, depending on the type of establishment chosen, it can be difficult to perceive the phenomenon.
Some travelers may even spend an entire stay in South Africa without paying attention to it.
Among the good students: “safari lodges”, these establishments which are part of safaris.
Many have adopted solar energy from the start, a way for them to gain autonomy (and light), but also to take a step towards an ecological transition.
However, the investments to compensate for these breakdowns prove to be very costly, especially for small structures such as guest houses.
The installations are not always suitable, like the generators, which cause noise pollution.
Anticipate outages
Guesthouses must therefore use their imagination to satisfy their customers.
“At the time of load shedding, we advise them to maintain wifi in their property.
Customers prefer to have the Internet rather than television.
We can also suggest that our guests go to a restaurant during this time.
That way, once they get home, they can benefit from electricity.
You can also add candles, to create a romantic effect,”
says Rosemarie van Staden, owner of a guest house in Pretoria and president of the National Accommodation Association of South Africa (NAA-SA), which represents 800 establishments.
At the time we call her, she is in full load shedding.
However, it is difficult to perceive it through a screen.
The lights are on in the ceiling and the internet is working.
“We use rechargeable LED bulbs, as well as a router for wifi
,” she explains.
Emergency lights are also distributed in the rooms to avoid plunging guests into complete darkness.
Many hotels also maintain air conditioning or ventilation.
For all these tourism professionals, two watchwords are at work: communicate and compensate.
As for travelers, another is added to the list: anticipate.
“You can call ahead and ask if the area you are visiting is experiencing load shedding.
If this is the case, find out about backup generators or an alternative power supply
,” advises Cape Town Tourism, the city's tourist office.
Some applications also allow you to know load shedding times, such as ESP (EskomSePush).
Often the mobile network is maintained, even during outages.
Some accessories can be very useful, such as a self-contained battery and a flashlight.
We also adopt certain reflexes.
“Keep cash on you as most vending machines cannot operate without electricity.
Make sure your mobile phone, laptop and tablet are always fully charged when power is available
,” continues the Cape Town Tourism Office.
A way of being resilient, like the South Africans who have long adopted this motto: adapt again and again.