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Chimezie Ucheagbo Mpho Lakaje
BBC What in the World podcast BBC Africa Daily
Residents of Sierra Leone have described their frustration at the blackouts which have plagued the country in recent weeks. A former police officer who helped suppress dissent during South Africa's apartheid era told the BBC youngsters like him were "basically brainwashed".
The power cuts, which have hit cities including the capital, Freetown, have disrupted hospitals and daily life for many. Lourens Groenewald spoke to the BBC's Africa Daily podcast ahead of the 30th anniversary of the fall apartheid, which takes place this Saturday.
Fatmata Gassim, a second-year engineering student in Freetown, told the What in the World podcast: “There are so many things wrong with [Sierra Leone], especially electricity. Like you wake up one morning and poof, there is no [electricity]." Racial segregation was formalised by the National Party when it took over in 1948, introducing a variety of laws that made the black population second-class citizens.
Ms Gassim, 19, is particularly frustrated as she relies completely on internet connectivity to study. But over the years, there was fierce resistance to the regime. Thousands of dissenters died, while leading political activists like Nelson Mandela and Robert Sobukwe were incarcerated.
Most of Freetown’s power comes from a Turkish ship floating off the country’s coast. It has massively reduced electricity supply to the city - from 60 megawatts to 6 megawatts - because of unpaid bills. Explaining why he joined the notorious police force, Mr Groenewald said: "We were young people, teenagers. We were basically brainwashed concerning racism, being a patriot for your nation and your people. That’s what we believed in,"
Karpowership is one of the world's biggest floating power plant operators, with several African states relying on it for electricity. Sandile Swana, an activist operating in the township of Soweto, spoke about the views he himself held during those years: "My feeling towards white South Africans were that they were the principal obstacle that had to be removed on my path to self-realisation."
Ms Gassim said the blackouts were affecting countless aspects of her life. Apartheid officially came to an end when millions of people voted in the country’s very first democratic election on the 27 April 1994. While Mr Swana was initially excited about freedom, he is now disillusioned. "My children face terrible odds. There’s absolutely nothing [jobs-wise] for graduates."
"How do you iron your clothes, how do you make your food, how do you go to sleep? We pay our electricity bills so I don’t see why we should be forced to live like this,” she said. Listen to the full Africa Daily podcast here
Some other Freetown-dwellers told the BBC they were experiencing a power cut which had lasted for five days in a row.
They have had to rely on generators, go to neighbours’
houses for their electricity needs or just sit in the dark.
In other cities, like Bo and Kenema, residents are able to access some
power, but still less than normal.
A filmmaker told the podcast he had been forced to use his laptop, with its relatively small screen, to edit his work, rather than use his usual desktop computer. The desktop keeps turning off or using up fuel from his generator.
Businesses like barbers, hotels and restaurants are also relying on generators, which heavily impacts their running costs.
Listen to What in the World - a podcast helping you make sense of what is happening around the globe - here.
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