Eskom is going to pay the SABC to run what the failing electricity giant is calling "Power Bulletins", telling SABC TV viewers to not use Eskom, while the SABC informs viewers to switch things in the house off - just not the television set.
Both the failing parastatals, mired in overspending, struggling to get their budgets under control and behind on promises of infrastructure investment ranging from power stations to digital television broadcasting services are not going to work together to tell South African TV viewers to use less electricity.
Where other electricity utilities in the world spend money to advertise and market their service to get people to use more power, Eskom has decided to spend more to get South Africans to use less.
The Eskom Power Bulletins will look like the weather forecast format of SABC television and will be one minute long. Power Bulletins will run on weekdays on all three the SABC channels.
The Power Bulletins don't replace, but is in addition to Eskom and the SABC's existing Power Alert campaign which fills the bottom third of viewers' TV screens and often obscure visual details of TV shows and intrude on viewers' TV watching experience.
The Power Alerts already run on the eNCA (DStv 403), e.tv, various DStv channels on MultiChoice's satellite pay-TV platform and SABC1, SABC2 and SABC3.
Eskom and the SABC will advise TV viewers to switch off geysers, pool pumps, lights, electrical heaters and all appliances not in use, but will never tell TV viewers to switch off the TV.
Malusi Gigaba, the minister of public enterprises calls the Power Bulletins an "exciting initiative" in a spress statement which will "educate and inform consumers about the country's electricity status".
