I arrived in Johannesburg to find it sunk in gloom —literally. The lights go out regularly, often for hours at a time.

抵达约翰内斯堡后，我发现这里已陷入黑暗之中——是字面意义上的黑暗。停电熄灯是家常便饭，一停往往就是几个小时。

Eskom, the state-owned electricity company, compensates for its lack of investment with “loadshedding or power cuts.

南非国家电力公司(Eskom)用“拉闸限电或停电来弥补其投资匮乏。

The darkness is tough on families, but on businesses too, and is a drag on investment andexpansion.

黑暗让南非家庭的日子不好过，也让企业的日子不好过，还拖累着投资和扩张。

Economic growth is low and unemployment high. Beggars with cardboard signs plead withdrivers as they stop at red lights. That is, when the lights are working; during power cuts theygo dark.

经济增速缓慢，失业率高企。在司机等待红灯时，乞丐举着硬纸壳做的牌子向司机行乞。当然，那是在红绿灯仍然正常运转的情况下。在停电的时候，红绿灯也不亮。

After falling for five years, murders rose in 2013-14 for the second consecutive year, to morethan 17,000.

在谋杀案件数量第五年下降之后，2013-14年度南非的谋杀案件数量连续第二年上升，增加至逾1.7万起。

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