Author: Contributor

By Viresh Harduth, VP: new customer acquisition (startup and small business) at Sage Africa & Middle East From this month, the price of all grades of petrol has increased by 67c/litre, adding to the steep petrol price and fuel levy increases we have seen over the course of the year. The higher cost of petrol is likely to put Small & Medium businesses in South Africa under further pressure in a tight economic environment of rising inflation. Depending on your business, the petrol price could have a significant impact on your profitability. If you run a fleet of vehicles for…

By David Glance, University of Western Australia In response to millions of people fleeing Florida in the face of Hurricane Irma, Tesla has “flipped a switch” in some of its cars to temporarily extend their range. Tesla cars receive software updates much like an iPhone does – via the internet in an update process called “over-the-air” or OTA updates. It’s one of the only car companies that can do this with their cars, regularly sending updates to fix security flaws or update autonomous driving capabilities. Contrast this with the approach taken by Chrysler, which sent out USB sticks with a…

The financial backers of South Africa’s independent power producers are reeling from Energy Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi recent apparent hit-and-run attack on them, according to City Press. Last week, Kubayi announced they must all renegotiate their previously-agreed tariffs down to 77c/kilowatt-hour. This announcement affects 27 projects representing at least R60 billion in capital expenditure. The department of energy simply endorsed Eskom’s attempt to “squash” South Africa’s flagship public-private partnership initiative – the renewable energy independent power producer (IPP) purchase programme, Mark Pickering, managing director of solar industry lobby group Sapvia, told City Press. National Treasury has R200 billion in renewable energy…

By Staff Writer A major cabinet shake-up is on the cards, with Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma expected to be named as a new minister of education to replace Blade Nzimande. The Sunday Times reported it is believed that the plan is for Dlamini-Zuma to be the one to announce free education at tertiary level, to win over voters. However, City Press newspaper reported that the return of Dlamini-Zuma to Parliament leaves the door open for President Jacob Zuma to make an early exit from the government once his successor has been elected at the ANC’s  elective conference in December. The newspaper also reported…

By Staff Writer The Gupta family is banking on the South African Post Office being granted a banking licence as a way to save its businesses, according to the Sunday Times. The controversial family’s business accounts were closed by the big four banks last year. Furthermore, the Bank of Baroda has given the Guptas notice that it will also close their accounts. Post Office CEO Mark Barnes said in June the company was waiting for the Reserve Bank to issue the Postbank a banking licence, according to the report. “The applicants hope that it (Postbank) will be unbiased and will consider…

by Ben Dickson This article is part of Demystifying AI, a series of posts that (try) to disambiguate the jargon and myths surrounding AI. I was nine years old when I had my first taste of programming, and fell in love with the art (yes, I believe programming is as much art as it is science). I quickly became fascinated with how I could control the flow of my programs by setting logical rules and conditions, if…else statements, switches, loops and more. In later years, I learned to remove clutter from my code by creating modules and abstracting pieces of…

Telecommunications and Postal Services Minister Siyabonga Cwele says very soon South Africans will pay less for data and that changes may be implemented as early as August next year. Reducing the cost of data and roaming charges has been under the spotlight over the past three days as Ministers of Communication and ICT from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) gathered in Durban to discuss ITC infrastructure development in the region. In an interview with SAnews, Minister Cwele said his department has mandated the Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA) to conduct a thorough study on the cost of data…

By Avaya Consumers in South Africa prefer a digital-first approach to resolving their basic banking issues, only talking to a human being if they have to, according to a new survey from Avaya. Out of nine countries surveyed, South Africans were the most likely to say they preferred to use a mobile banking app to access their banking services – and they are also most likely to lodge a formal complaint about bad customer service. The Customer Experience in Banking Survey, conducted with YouGov, queried more than 10,000 banking customers in two waves – the first covering the UK, UAE,…

Nissan today introduced the new Nissan LEAF, the next evolution of its zero-emission electric vehicle. The Nissan LEAF has been completely reinvented, combining greater range with a dynamic new design and advanced technologies, representing Nissan’s technological leadership. “The new Nissan LEAF drives Nissan Intelligent Mobility, which is the core brand strategy for Nissan’s future,” Hiroto Saikawa, president and chief executive officer of Nissa, said in a statement. The new Nissan LEAF: raising the bar for electric vehicles (Photo Credit: Nissan) “The new Nissan LEAF, with its improved range, combined with the evolution of autonomous drive technology such as ProPILOT Park,…

By Staff Writer The DA is sceptical about the Department of Telecommunications and Postal Services’ (DTPS) revised South African Connect rollout plan to connect 90% of the population to the internet by 2020. The DTPS wants to connect South Africans to the internet through the project management of a yet-to-be created state IT Infrastructure company. On Tuesday, the new strategy for SA Connect was presented to parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Telecommunications and Postal Services. The state wants to build another state owned company from the existing fibre networks and infrastructure operated by state entities Broadband Infraco, Sentech, PRASA, Eskom, Sanral and…