Blackout babies on the march
2006-03-08 10:24
Port Elizabeth - Sweep the chimneys, get the storks super fit and prepare the cake and presents now for the thunder of tiny feet that will start in the next eight to nine months.
This is all compliments of Eskom, because it's their "bungling" that encouraged the late-night work, believes a Port Elizabeth gynaecologist.
Obstetrician Dr Abry Nhliziyo believes there's a baby boom on the way and that the length of the power cuts will play a significant role.
The shorter power cuts would just make most people angry.
The longer ones would make the difference, because boredom and stress would mount.
Nhliziyo said: "Escape into romance is one of the best ways of getting rid of stress.
"We can truly expect a fruitful season. That's the way it goes in life, if the one industry stumbles, it helps others to flourish again."
Labour wards bursting
The expected increase in the little bundles of joy holds great promise for gynaecologists in Port Elizabeth and probably also the Western Cape.
History has shown that power cuts make the population grow.
For example, Toronto's mayor said in 2003 the labour wards would surely burst at the seams after large-scale power cuts had affected his city and large parts of America.
True to the American spirit of enterprise, it didn't take long before blackout T-shirts, caps, baseball jerseys and mugs flooded the shops.
Buyers could choose between the adult items asking "Where were you in the blackout?" or baby items stating "I'm a blackout baby".
The stork also had to work overtime after the big New York power cuts in 1977.
'Not much else to do at home'
More recently, after hurricane Charley paralysed the state of Florida's power supply, CBS reported that nine months later the birth rate at the Florida Hospital alone had increased by 24%.
One of the "hurricane mothers", Colleen Mol, told CBS at the time: "During hurricane Charley and its aftermath we had no electricity for at least a week. There wasn't really much else one could do at home."
Now, we have to wait and see if Eastern and Western Cape residents, like Colleen Mol, will use Koeberg's blackouts for other activities.