Sometime back, in 1994, when the new government had taken over, there was a great deal of backslapping and self-congratulation by new Parliamentarians and officials and settling in and stuff. However, there wasn’t much action.

This country had come to an almost dead halt, while some people had waited for the majority to take over and burn the place down. Others just decided to wait and see. Others packed and left, tout suite (French for ‘right now’, bro). But suddenly! Nothing happened. The new officials and Ministers showed the historical incumbents the door, after which they realised that they had no real idea on how to issue government tenders or get roads repaired or get anything done. The private sector also did nothing, waiting to see how the economy would pan out. It was all much like today’s situation.

Anyway, I was at the premises of Siemens in Cape Town and I asked Kurt H, the manager, what Siemens was going to do to survive. He was a good guy (dead now) and very insightful. He told me that Siemens had been in South Africa since 1860, when it installed a telegraph line from Cape Town to Simonstown. So, it was not likely that the company was going to fold as a result of a temporary downturn. So, he said, “Arbeit ist die beste Jacke”, which means “work is the best jacket” but suggests work as the best way to survive. Thus, he said, they were going to check all the fire extinguishers, paint the safety lines on the workshop floor, repair broken doors and windows, empty old files . . . and all those things which you have to do but you never get around to. After all, until the work came in, they had time.

I was reminded of this in our last 20-odd days of lockdown. We have all moved home, except me, since our office building is on my residential plot. It all started with the printer. I decided to plot some drawings. Normally, our super tech does this but he is not here (although he is able enough to print them remotely, from Mars, if necessary) so I decided to print them. But the plotter and my computer would not talk to each other. While staring at the plotter, I noticed that the server computer cover was missing – all exposed for the dog to lick the hard drive. One of the plotter buttons was sticking as well. So, sort of on a witchhunt, I noted a number of other things that were not right: the boardroom computer not working (again), some downlights broken, a computer dongle on its last legs. I got the super tech to print the drawings remotely but it did strike me: does it take a state of national disaster for me to find out that my computer and plotter are not friends? What else doesn’t work but only matters when unusual situations arise?

I am an engineer by nature, so I believe that, if it is broken, fix it or throw it away. Millennials seem to believe that, if it is broken, buy another one. However, many people are too bored to have a policy of ‘don’t let broken things accumulate’. They just let the day pass with no action, even if they have the time.

Now, reading what I have written, it doesn’t seem clear. This is what I am trying to say: right now, in the lockdown, you have all the time you need to fix all the things in your business which have not been fixed for years. If you are home-bound, you have (or should have) time to fix all those things you have ignored. Most importantly, if you have a large plant, now is the time to make sure all outstanding electrical maintenance is done (it is classified as an essential service). Do not say, “Wow, whatever am I to do now?” This is a unique chance for us. The whole system is on ‘pause’. Take advantage.