Eskom is turning out the lights in South Africa

IN RECENT DAYSEMWMW the only thing darker than South Africans’ homes has been their humour. On December 9th Eskom, the state-owned power utility, announced its biggest-ever blackouts, turning off the lights across Africa’s most industrialised country. Some wags used the remaining battery on their phones to vent on social media. “The in South Africa stands for electricity,” read one post. Another suggested that “Eskom’s been bad all year…in the hope they’ll get coal for Christmas.”Many South Africans have stopped seeing the funny side. The failure of Eskom’s coal-fired power stations meant the loss of almost a third of its 44,000 capacity (14,000, roughly the potential output of Denmark). The blackouts may tip the country into recession for the second time in two years.