Benjamin Franklin. What a guy. Not only he did he put his quill to the American Constitution, not only did he serve his nation with wisdom, fortitude, and dignity, but he also just happened to discover electricity while flying his kite in a thunderstorm one night. (Note: do not try this at home.)
We could use a guy like Benjamin in South Africa right now, but instead, all we’ve got is Alec Erwin, Eskom, and Buyelwa Sonjica. If you haven’t heard of her, that’s not surprising, for she is South Africa’s Minister of Minerals and Energy, and since there isn’t enough energy to mine minerals at the moment, she’s been having a pretty quiet time in office.
Until today, whe she rose in Parliament to offer her apologies for the Minerals and Energy crisis, and to hand out a series of power-saving tips aimed at the populace at large. Here’s the most important one: “Go to bed earlier.”
Even Benjamin Franklin himself would have agreed that this is sage advice, for it was was he who once proclaimed: “Early to bed, and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.”
So goodnight, everyone, and see you more or less around lunchtime. Thanks goodness the Minister didn’t say anything about getting up earlier too.
