Five must-have SA apps this festive season

Whether it’s making sure the kids are looked after, entertaining visiting family members, or being somewhere you’re not familiar with, there are almost countless ways in which it can seem like the holidays are just another minefield of stress, things to remember or worry about.

Of course remembering what the holidays are meant to be about is the only way to make sure you won’t end your time off feeling like you still need a break, but there are a few apps you can download to help you navigate your way out of holiday stress.

Eskom Se Push

Don’t let Eskom put a dimmer on your holiday fun this year. Whether you’ll be home, but definitely if you’ll be in a part of the country you’re not too familiar with, the Eskom Se Push app keeps you up to date on exactly when you will be without power, meaning you can make sure the turkey will still be roasted in time for Christmas lunch now that we find ourselves in another period of load-shedding no matter how long it may last.

Secura
It’s a sad fact that safety is always a concern in South Africa. A on-demand mobile response solution using GPS technology, Secura, allows users to connect with the closest armed response vehicle near them for only R49 per month. With this app, enjoying the outdoors or a relaxing time away from your own in-home armed response will be made a little easier this festive season.

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SweepSouth

The seed for SweepSouth was planted when over the holidays Aisha Pandor, SweepSouth co-founder, found herself struggling to find domestic help when her family’s domestic worker went on leave. Whether you’ll be looking for help over this period because your domestic worker is on leave, or maybe you want some extra help after an evening entertaining friends and family, SweepSouth, similar to Uber, allows you to book a vetted and user-rated domestic worker when you need it.

Bottles

Promising delivery within 20 minutes to an hour, the Bottles app describes itself as the fastest, most convenient, and reliable way to order beer, wine, spirits, mixers, and snacks. Currently serving most of Johannesburg, Cape Town, Pretoria, Durban, and Bloemfontein, this app is ideal for when a trip to the bottle store just isn’t convenient and you still want a little extra tipple for those unplanned braais and get-togethers that make this time of year so special.

Eat Out

The Eat Out Awards are the Oscars for South Africa’s restaurant industry, and the Eat Out guide is the premier list of restaurants across South Africa, as rated by a panel of 50 food and restaurant industry experts. With the Eat Out app, not only can you see what Eat Out has to say about the eateries wherever you may be enjoying your holiday across the country, you can also reserve yourself a table.

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