TCS | ESP's Herman Maritz on Eskom's miraculous turnaround

--:--
Herman Maritz, one half of the pair that developed the ESP load shedding app (formerly known as EskomSePush), is grateful that Eskom may finally have load shedding licked – even if that means fewer people are using the app.
Maritz, who returns to the TechCentral Show (TCS) – he was last a guest in 2021 – reflects on the past four-and-a-half months without load shedding, and what that’s meant for ESP – apart from giving himself and his business partner, Dan Southwood-Wells, to focus on other projects.
In this episode of TCS, Maritz unpacks the impact of the suspension of load shedding, what that’s meant for advertising and subscriptions on the platform, and what’s next for ESP.
He also chats about:
• How ESP is helping communities with load reduction;
• How they’re using generative artificial intelligence in the app; and
• The opportunities to launch the software in new markets.
Lastly, he reveals a few interesting statistics about ESP, including the number of times the app has been downloaded (it’s a staggering number).
12 Aug English South Africa Technology · Business

Other recent episodes

TCS+ | Network Platforms’ Warwick Ward-Cox – IP wrangler

Warwick Ward-Cox, chief technical officer at Network Platforms – a wholesale provider specialising in supporting internet service providers and IT managed service providers – is deeply immersed in the plumbing of the South African technology space, currently supporting over a 100 ISPs and MSPs. Ward-Cox, who has immersed himself in…
3 Oct 27 min

TCS | Donald Valoyi: South African on-demand e-commerce pioneer

Donald Valoyi saw the potential market for on-demand grocery delivery in South Africa early on, and his company Zulzi was a pioneer in the space. It even went on to help Shoprite Holdings launch the Checkers Sixty60 app. Zulzi was founded in 2013 as an “aggregator” of various shopping outlets…
2 Oct 48 min

TCS+ | From gen AI to deepfakes – the latest infosec threats

Twice yearly, ESET publishes its Threat Report in which it unpacks the latest trends and developments in the world of information security. Adrian Stanford, group chief technology officer at ESET Southern Africa, is our guest in the latest episode of TechCentral’s TCS+, and he provides a succinct overview of the…
1 Oct 18 min

TCS | Bruce Mellado on the tech-led fight against air pollution in South Africa

South African scientists have launched a cost-effective air-quality monitoring system built using internet of things and artificial intelligence technologies. Bruce Mellado, professor of particle physics and director of the Institute for Collider Particle Physics at Wits University, is one of the key people behind the new initiative, which is aimed…
18 Sep 35 min

TCS | Rebooting Cell C: Jorge Mendes sets out his strategic plan

Jorge Mendes has been in the hot seat at Cell C for just over a year, and the turnaround at the long-troubled mobile operator is starting to gain traction. In this episode of the TechCentral Show (TCS), Mendes sits down with TechCentral editor Duncan McLeod for a detailed interview in…
13 Sep 56 min