It takes the uniquely South African perspective to tackle the country’s unique problems which is why we are happy to report on a trio of South African companies teaming up to combat not just loadshedding, but the tight state of the economy by offering you household essentials for less.

Those three companies are DEFY with their range of efficient bottom-mounted fridges (BMF), Gizzu with its portable power stations and Makro which will be hosting the promotion from the pair.

Between 11th March and 14th April you can visit any Makro store in the country – or shop online – to pick up DEFY’s range of BMF products with each purchase netting you a five percent off coupon to buy select Gizzu portable power stations online. Not only that but each purchase also comes with a Gizzu Universal Surge Protector Plug so you can immediately protect your brand-new fridge or anything else in your home.

DEFY BMFs are discounted by up to R700 with models like the 226 and 300 litre variants receiving the largest savings. Our pick of the bunch is the 348 litre BMF that is the perfect fit for most homes and comes with a large R500 discount for this promotion. 

While we would say that’s a win-win situation, you can add another win at the end there. That’s because five lucky customers will each walk away with a Gizzu Hero Max 1024Wh / 1000W UPS Portable Power Station which is worth a cool R12 999. That’s right – a single purchase of a select DEFY BMF has you walking away with the five percent Gizzu voucher and the Gizzu Universal Surge Protector Plug as a guaranteed extra, and then you can also win a portable power station on top of that!

South Africans love a good deal and there’s no better deal than free! The Gizzu Universal Surge Protector plug isn’t just a welcome inclusion for no extra cost, but a frontline defence against the unpredictable and sometimes dangerous power that comes out of local plugs. This takes just seconds to install and gives you unlimited peace of mind that an errant power problem won’t permanently damage or destroy your electronics. 

Local tech for local success

But let’s take a closer look at these products, how they’re uniquely South African and how they all combat loadshedding and overspending.

Made in the local factory in Ezakheni, Ladysmith, DEFY fridges are built exactly where they are needed here in South Africa. Their satin metallic finish suits any kitchen no matter the style and beneath that striking finish is the clever engineering that went into making these fridges consume 25 percent less electricity annually. 

That’s savings in your pocket and doubly so with loadshedding leaving fridges to use more power to regain the proper temperature between loadshedding blocks. Make these savings a triple as the NatureLight system in certain models extend the shelf life of groceries by mimicking natural light inside for fresher and crisper produce.

A feature we love on many DEFY BMF models is the convenient water dispenser. Water dispensers are a real time saver and save space inside the fridge where you would otherwise need to keep plastic bottles or a large glass container. The convenience and refreshment of cold water right from a dispenser is a feature usually kept for much larger and more expensive fridges, but DEFY has engineered them into the BMF range for everyone to enjoy.

Aside from the features and efficiency, DEFY has made the BMF offering even better suited to South Africa with a superb balance of premium features and affordability. This is even better when you pick one up in this special period to enjoy even better pricing and the additional offerings from Gizzu.

Gizzu too is a proudly South African effort being distributed from the hearts of Johannesburg and Cape Town. Gizzu’s Hero line of portable power stations have reinvented the idea of individualised power in the home, school and at work. 

Each Hero portable power station makes use of cutting-edge Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries which makes other battery tech look inadequate in comparison. LiFePO4 allows these devices to pack more energy into a smaller space, charge faster and last longer all while being hardier than the competition, lasting for thousands of cycles each.

If you’ve never used a Gizzu portable power station, think of it as one of those battery banks intended for phones and tablets, but on an exponentially larger scale. You get all the flexibility and power without the higher costs, lack of portability and complexity of traditional UPS options. 

Given their expertise in these fields, DEFY and Gizzu are keenly aware of just how damaging loadshedding is to your appliances and fridges in particular. As fridges need to maintain a constant temperature, loadshedding takes a massive toll on this machinery which needs to constantly use electricity to stay active. And all of this isn’t even considering food wastage that is happening at a frightening rate due to power cuts. Even food which isn’t outright spoiled can be harbouring unseen rot or bacteria can thrive during loadshedding, even in food that otherwise seems edible. 

This is why these two companies have paired up for this promotion and why they have created the handy infographic below, showing off how long you can run your new DEFY BMF on a Gizzu portable power station. When loadshedding first started the thought of running large appliances like fridges on anything but wall power seemed like a dream, but companies like DEFY and Gizzu have made it a reality. With the efficiency of the DEFY fridges and the huge capacity of Gizzu portable power stations, you can power your fridge right through even the longest of loadshedding blocks.

Even better is that some combinations can keep you going for longer than a day! Don’t let current lower stages of loadshedding fool you as higher stages can arrive again with little to no warning. 2023 had a record amount of loadshedding and it seems little will change for 2024. 

Gizzu products are also a great backup for the unplanned power outages which can leave South African suburbs in the dark for a day or more until a repair can be made. 

Notice those super quick recharge times too, another benefit of the LiFePO4 battery tech. While other loadshedding solutions take hours to recover from a loss of power – and may not even be fully charged by the time loadshedding starts again – GIZZU’s Portable Power Stations are ready to go when needed.

Each of the GIZZU portable power stations in the table below can be snagged with that five percent off voucher when buying select DEFY BMF products.