THE THIRST FOR POWER
The story behind South Africa's electric and water shortage.
HISTORY OF CAPE TOWN
The city of Cape Town was first discovered in 1652 when the Dutch East India Company needed a place to dock their ships and did so on the shores of Table Bay. By 1806, the population of Cape Town had reached 16,500, of which 10,000 were slaves that were brought in from East Africa, Madagascar, and the Bay of Bengal area. The period from 1948 to 1994 was known as the Apartheid Era and was when the white government passed laws to restrict mixed race marriages, institutionalize legal segregation, and assigned restrictions on movement of black and colored people, and installed apartheid physically in the landscape. Black workers were forced to live outside cities in residential areas known as townships. These areas did not have the infrastructure that white cities did, leaving residents living in shack-like houses. It was only in the early 1990's when South Africa became an inclusive democracy.
GEOGRAPHY OF CAPE TOWN
Cape Town’s reputation rests on its beautiful location between mountain and sea. The average high temperature for the summer months is 70 degrees Fahrenheit, but can be as high as 95 degrees. The average low temperature for the winter months is 55 degrees, but can go as low as 35 degrees. The three most significant and prominent mountains are Table Mountain, Lions Head, and Signal Hill.
CAPE TOWN TODAY
Today, Apartheid is long behind the city of Cape Town which is now a modern city with malls, high-rise office and residential buildings, all of which are open to every race. At the time when the government became inclusive to the black community, the system was already inadequate and the Black leadership that took over did not have enough experience. The new black run government became focused on creating jobs, getting people into homes, and generally trying to uplift the black community out of poverty. This change in focus means that other areas such as infrastructure have been ignored. On top of that, a lot of the previously very poor people now have more access to power and running water which has raised the demand and drained the supply.
