After almost a year of silence – and electricity – popular app EskomSePush is celebrating the return of load shedding.
The unofficial go-to app for push notifications on rolling blackouts has been in operation for over a decade.
LOAD SHEDDING RETURN – ESKOMSEPUSH BACK IN ACTION!
In a shock move on Friday, 31 March, Eskom announced that load shedding would return after ten months of uninterrupted power supply.
The energy supplier announced that Stage 3 blackouts would kick in at 17:00 and would continue through the weekend.
Like the surprise announcement, many South Africans no doubt checked out their EskomSePush app for information on when to expect blackouts.
Hilariously, the official X app of EskomSePush announced it was back in action by posting memes about the ongoing energy crisis.
One included a video of WWE wrestler The Undertaker, who is known for his trademark act of “resurrecting” during his performances.
Another was a cheeky clip of an amateur footballer doing some over-the-top warm-up exercises.
A third featured the Afrikaans comedian and singer RadioRaps doing a little dance.
WHO IS BEHIND THE APP?
In 2014, Herman Maritz and Dan Wells developed EskomSePush, which is a play on words of a popular South African vulgar phrase.
Maritz is a qualified electrical engineer while Wells has a degree in computer science. With their combined experience they started the free to use app that gives real-time notifications and information about load shedding in every affected grid in Souuth Africa.
According to IOL, the Cape Town duo worked together at a company that developed apps for banks.
The pals worked on push notifications and were amused at how many clients mispronounced the word “push” as the slang word “p*es.”
After starting off small with an app that was merely built to notify themselves and their friends and families, they decided to extend the initiative to other South Africans.
Eleven years later, the app has over seven million subscribers.
Image via Facebook:
@eskomsepush
“We’ve learned with EskomSePush that information is power,” Maritz told the publication.
“We all want to know what’s going on around us. Information gives us peace of mind, providing a sense of assurance in an increasingly chaotic world.”
The app also has a unique community forum where users can ask questions and get answers to everyday services like electricity, water, roads, fires, internet issues, and safety.
ARE YOU SUBSCRIBED TO ESKOMSEPUSH?
Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1.
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