The cyanide in South Africa's coffee cup
Hi folks, if you’re new here, welcome! If you’ve wandered with me before, welcome back. This one is going to be a little bit of an unusual one, so please let me know your thoughts in the comments.
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All that said … deep breath … on to South Africa. Or rather, not on to South Africa, I’m sorry to say. Let’s talk.
So, this is one of those instances in which the fascinating, gorgeous, inspiring natural world has run in a very obvious, broken-nose kind of way smack into the hard-edged world of humans. I can’t talk to Jesse about wildlife in South Africa right now because the country is facing an energy crisis in which their electricity keeps getting turned off. She sent me an electricity schedule but said lately it’s been “all over the map” — sometimes it cuts off half an hour early, sometimes it’s early, who knows. We’ll try again later this week.
The problem is apparently the aging coal plants. That, and apparently coal theft on the way to the coal plants. Also, someone might have tried to poison the national energy company CEO’s coffee? He has, rather understandably, stepped down. He was the 12th CEO to step down in 12 years.
The country’s water supply depends on electricity to run, so now that system too is on the brink of disaster.
The power rationing that can last for hours at a stretch is taking an ever-increasing toll on the economy and disrupting manufacturing, mining and farming. Cape Town, the country’s main tourist hub, partially shut several beaches during the height of the holiday season late last year after wastewater pumps broke down. …
“The stop and start process at the water-treatment works negatively impact on water quality,” the department said in an emailed reply to questions. “The power cuts also negatively affect the treatment process at the waste-water treatment works, resulting in poorly processed discharge from the treatment plant. The storage capacity at the sewer pump stations were not designed for long durations without pumping. That also increases the risk for possible spillages.”
Crime and vandalism has also impacted negatively on Johannesburg’s water supply: thousands of water meters, manhole covers and hundreds of water tanks were stolen over the past year, according to the municipality. — Paul Burkhardt, “Power Crisis Triggers Water Cuts in South Africa’s Economic Hub,” Bloomberg on Yahoo! News, January 30, 2023.
I’m no expert on any of this, but I figure the “possible spillages” of sewage into the ocean can’t be good for marine life.
Listen, I don’t generally write about people stuff on here, or at least not this kind of people stuff.
People making amazing discoveries about spiders — great. People hanging out with me and some eagles and a plate of crab fries — couldn’t be better. Even people taking the occasional left hook at my head while I’m trying to take a nature walk — well, it’s not my favorite, but sure I’ll write about it.
People suffering because their nation is teetering on the brink total collapse?
Woah.
We may have wandered out further than WanderFinder — good tracker that it is — can reasonably trace our footsteps.
And yet … I’m worried about Jesse. I think about her, hoping to talk to me, to us, about her life in the bush and the delightful creatures she’s gotten to know.
I worry about all the lovely people I met in South Africa, the guides and the rangers and the trackers. The people who sang — everyone I met sang more often and more beautifully than anyone I had ever met before going to South Africa.1
I worry about the irony of needing the coal plants to talk with Jesse about animals. I worry about what will happen to the animals if the tourists stop coming. It’s a hard bottom line, but tourists help make some animals worth more alive than dead.
Most of the lodges have their own generators and solar power but still, if the situation gets bad enough it will, presumably, begin to affect the whole country, no matter how off the grid the tourist parts might be.
I hope I get to talk to Jesse soon. I hope the energy and water and economic crises can be resolved.
I think we’re more like the wood wide web than we know, or like to consider. Bunches of tangled roots, nodes, bugs, fungi all twisted together, all signaling. It’s frightening when one branch starts to feel more cut off than the others.
There’s no one who’s alone, not really. There’s no one — and certainly not a whole place — we can do without.
A few photos from South Africa.
Sending warmest wishes for a wanderful week to you and to all of our friends who work so hard to protect South Africa’s natural abundance.
OK, one more video.
I love it when their friends try to photobomb (videobomb?) the choir. Kids!
I didn't even know this was happening in South Africa- it's just bad news after bad news everywhere you turn. The water crisis in Jackson, Mississippi is so upsetting, enraging...I don't actually have the words. It is easier to read about bad news in your newsletter though because I love your writing, and the photos and videos are beautiful. So thank you :-)
The Wilson Center is planning a webcast for next week, and has this to say about the topic:
"Russia’s war in Ukraine has devastated the country’s water and sanitation infrastructure. Civilian water supply and treatment have been exposed to collateral damage, wielded as weapons through targeted attacks, and strained by large population movements and diminished capacity as water operators take up arms to protect their country. This has enormous implications for Ukraine’s short and long-term health, agricultural, and energy systems, and economic well-being."