The Cost of No Electricity

Electricity is so much in use these days that it is now considered a public utility, and to some, maybe even a basic right. After all, electricity means light, telecommunications, access to media like radio and television, even access to education. No electricity, on the other hand, means keeping people in the dark, both literally and figuratively.

Governments are responsible for providing people electricity, and to make sure that even far-flung areas without power are targeted by government projects to provide power sooner or later. But what happens when pleas for electricity go unnoticed for years?  The desire for electricity may be such that people attempt to service their own areas by making illegal connections.

This is what happened in Marikana, north of Pretoria, where unheard pleas for electricity have turned into a veritable network of illegal connections. The tragedy is that the illegal connections have resulted in miles of cables and exposed wires, which recently caused the death of at least two children by electrocution. Will Atlanta lower the prices of electricity ? Many think the prices are going to increase.