Eskom Now Sheds Its Load Shedding - and how Eskom can manage the countries consumption with less gnashing of teeth

Eskom denies that suspending load shedding has anything to do with substations (like this one in PE pictured above) literally exploding when the power has been turned back on. Eskom spokesperson Trevor Jones said [the suspension] has 'nothing to do with the substation issue.'
Bullshit. Of course it does. To admit that exploding substations are the cause is to admit the extent that Eskom doesn't have a clue what it is doing, nor the implications of what it does do.

I've said this before: the sooner people stop telling lies to each other, the sooner we can get to grips with solving this countries problems.

The Solution: Regionalised SMS Alerts

Eskom needs to improve their communication to South Africans, to set and broadcast specific targets, often, and be very clear and consistent in their communication. This is an opportunity for communities and businesses nationwide to take hands and co-operate. It's give and take, sacrifice and benefit all the way. Communities and households have to change their relative disconnectedness and re-connect into a national psychology. Rich, poor, taxi driver, corporate mogul - we're all in this together.

Eskom's communication needs to be path and goal. For example: On Friday we need X capacity for industrial operations, and we're going to reduce capacity to households. We need people to skip showers and baths just for today, and that ought to do it. We need a report card informing us of our success/failure. To demand power cuts without offering salient and practical suggestions isn't helpful.

Let's make it better -> by thinking logically

An easy area to address power shortages is by managing and streamlining 'peak' usage times. Does it make sense that everyone gets up at the same time, goes to work at the same time, comes home at the same time? Of course not. Simple solution is stagger the process of washing, cooking, travelling and starting up of operations. Pushing a lot of diurnal activity towards a nocturnal schedule is also an option. This requires simple buy-in by South Africa's businesses and the community. I can't think there are too many people who actually prefer traffic jams and the lights going out, so selling this strategy ought to be a snip. And you know what: even without power cuts we ought to be living this way. It just makes sense.

One perfect method to roll out this mechanism of streamlining our consumption is using cell-phone networks. These are also regional networks, and so we can also customise our national consumption, by sending regional alerts (via sms) to lower consumption in specific areas.

To the extent that we can utilise the technology we already have to measure and interact intra-and extra network, we ought to be able to return to an even flow of energy. This is predetermined by an even flow of high-value communication. The Media can participate in this process as knowledge buoys, and receptors to the suburban condition.

I'd also advocate regional blogs (such as http:myrosebank.blogspot.com) to address the efficacy of these systems and processes.

So, South Africans, are we up to the task?