Dan Southwood-Wells

The first question I put to Dan Southwood-Wells – “Are you the only person in the country who actually likes loadshedding?” – is answered with a resounding, “No!” One half of the duo behind EskomSePush (ESP), he explains that he and co-founder Herman Maritz are just as annoyed as the rest of us when stages are taken up a notch. “It’s never about complaining or being negative; this is a very purposeful part of our brand. Because, let’s face it, loadshedding is not great. Our job isn’t to moan, it’s to give you the information you need in a simple and user-friendly way so that you are better equipped to plan around it.”

But this doesn’t mean that the app’s popularity isn’t thanks, in part at least, to Eskom’s ineptitude. In fact, he says that the team recently met with a UX consultant from Google who shared that the ESP app has one of the highest user retention rates they’ve ever seen. “We often say that people come for the cheeky name, but they stay because the information is really good.” And their strong user base, which currently stands at roughly eight million people, is a testament to this.