Studying in South Africa is a race against time for Reginald van Wyk, as he tries to finish his online coursework before the country’s scheduled daily power cuts make learning impossible.
A member of the Cape Town Society for the Blind (CTSB), the 43-year-old is studying computer skills through the charity, which offers support and training to about 120 blind and visually impaired people.
“We don’t need light because we can’t see, but we need power to listen to our audio coursework on the computer,” van Wyk said at CTSB’s computer lab. “Our studies have been impacted.”
Blackouts intended to take pressure off the ailing power grid run by struggling state utility Eskom have worsened again since early 2022 – leaving South Africans without electricity for up to 10 hours each day, and hindering charities like CTSB.
As part of national efforts to tackle the energy crisis, the government in
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