A crisis by another name

THE point at which a state of turmoil becomes a crisis is less clear than an Eskom load-shedding schedule. According to South African National Energy Association head Brian Statham, there is no energy crisis in SA.

In an interview with a financial news service, he defines what he thinks a crisis is: “I define a crisis as when you’re in a state of turmoil, (when) you’re in absolute panic and you don’t have a clue what to do about it.

“In that sense, we’re not in a crisis.” SA knew it had “to get our ducks in a row and focus on implementing the correction procedures and processes”.

So SA knows what to do regarding the electricity problem, therefore this is not a crisis. “So we’re in a state of intense turmoil, but I don’t think that we’re in a crisis,” he was quoted as saying.

Previously, a normal turmoil was defined as a crisis; now an intense turmoil is not a crisis. It reminds The Insider of graffiti on a Belfast wall during “The Troubles” in Northern Ireland: “If you’re not confused, you don’t understand the situation.”