Imagine a dysfunctional government that applies ideology to the economy and ruins the currency so that a fortune cannot buy a loaf of bread. How do you live? People did, people do. When the Zimbabwe dollar was introduced in 1980, it traded at par with the US Dollar. Thirty years later, rampant inflation, economic mismanagement on a grand scale, and furious printing of bank notes ended with the Zim Dollar trading, if anyone would have it, at ten billion to one. I have notes denominated in the billions, and one could not buy a loaf of bread with that. What did Zimbabweans do when they could not emigrate?

South Africa is in a much smaller but still real economic crisis, with factions holding the ruling party hostage to prevent corruption by the previous regime from being brought before the courts. Large-scale destruction of road transport, vandalising of railway infrastructure, and now strikes and sabotage at power stations leave the country with six hours a day without electricity.
How do people cope? Some can afford their own generators, solar panels, batteries, and inverters. But others? In Zimbabwe, the bitter joke was: 'What did they use before candles and kerosene lanterns?' You guessed: electricity. In South Africa, the common joke is: 'The E in South Africa stands for Electricity.' Yes, we are good at joking about our problems. But it goes further.

People in Zimbabwe formed groups of friends and relatives. They would pool resources also work opportunities. With a worthless currency, doctors would provide services for free, but when the patient is paid a sheep or three chickens for a job done, the doctor would get a share. Urban gardens provided some food, but rural production rarely reached the cities. Fuel was just too precious.
Computer service providers would write programs for free but would receive free service and parts for their vehicles from a dealer in turn. Foreign currency was hoarded and spent on essentials - someone would get a cousin overseas to send medicines to them and provide that to the doctor in return for food from some of the patients.

The recent spate of power outages in South Africa brought that into relief. An article on the heroic efforts of an engineer with Johannesburg's City Power illustrates the problems caused by lack of maintenance and insufficient planning by the authorities. It also illustrates the effects of societal breakdown - squatter villages built over power cable lines making repairs and replacement impossible, theft of power lines to be sold for scrap, vandalism of essential common infrastructure. 

In the face of such a breakdown, a community draws together. Someone makes a fire, and many come to share the warmth and cook and share with the aged and infirm. Everyone helps where he or she can.

Prepping means preparing social networks and helping where help is needed. Some may call it socialism; most would call it survival.