Author: Contributor

by Rob Hare and Aneria Bouwer SARS has recently announced the relevant dates in respect of the 2020 filing season for individuals. There are some significant procedural changes this year, most noteworthy of which is the new auto-assessment procedure for non-provisional taxpayers. The fact that SARS branches may not be visited without an appointment is also important for those taxpayers who must visit a SARS branch in order to submit their tax returns. 2020 Filing Season for Individuals Individuals can start submitting their income tax returns on 1 September 2020. However, unlike previous years, provision is now being made for…

by Jean-Louis Nel Earlier this month, the Pretoria High Court granted a small business owner an urgent basis for relief against the South African Revenue Service (SARS) who depleted his bank account without following due process. The court ordered SARS to set aside the third appointment of Absa who collected R1.3-million on behalf of SARS from the taxpayer’s bank account in terms of Section 179 of the Tax Administration Act (TAA). The Court further ordered SARS to repay the amount collected from the taxpayer’s bank account, together with the costs of the application on a punitive scale within three business…

By Dalene Deale South Africa’s rapidly-growing FinTech sector could play a key role in helping the country’s SMMEs recover from the impact of COVID-19 while bringing millions of ‘credit invisible’ consumers into the formal economy at the same time. The spread of the pandemic has already seen a surge in digital payments as businesses and consumers seek contactless ways to send and receive money. Now, the ability of FinTechs to use a wide range of alternative data sources to quickly assess risk and issue loans could be just what micro-businesses and consumers need to survive the current crisis and unlock…

At a time when the whole world has been forced to make drastic changes to the way in which it operates, one has to wonder whether being at the helm of any organisation is an enviable position. As the cumulative effects of South Africa’s recent economic downturn and current world events make themselves felt, the ability to adapt to new models of working has been the fundamental driver of maintaining operations. Canon South Africa MD, David Preston, has been working from his home country in England when lockdown took effect, and when asked what challenges he’s had to overcome in…

As he told the National Assembly of the arrival of the COVID-19 storm, Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, says the department has started implementing a “surge strategy” in anticipation of the peak. Leading a debate on COVID-19, Mkhize said the storm has arrived and while government works tirelessly to ensure that the system is ready to manage the peak, South Africans have a duty to take the necessary precautions to ensure that they protect themselves and the lives of those around them. “The Department of Health has developed and is implementing the Surge Strategy, in anticipation of the peak. “This…

MyBroadband Insights has released the Q2 2020 Mobile Network Quality Report, which shows that MTN had the best mobile network in South Africa during the lockdown. The report is based on 278,890 speed tests which were performed by thousands of MyBroadband Speed Test App users across South Africa between 1 April and 30 June 2020. The research shows that South Africa had an average mobile download speed of 27.13Mbps and an average upload speed of 10.53Mbps. MTN had the highest average download speed at 52.28Mbps, followed by Vodacom on 29.08Mbps, Telkom on 20.16Mbps, Cell C on 17.62Mbps and Rain on…

by Sustainability Experts, Lungile Manzini and Lerato Moja While no one would choose to go through the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, researchers worldwide are keen to investigate the effects of this crisis global experiment.  Around half of the world’s population is on lockdown in an attempt to stop the spread of COVID-19, a public health emergency that has claimed thousands of lives and sparked fears of the worst global recession since the Great Depression. This has brought about a profound change in the quality of air, water as well as the environment. Globally, people have been on lockdown which has brought…

by Suraya Hamdulay One of the most encouraging outcomes of the Coronavirus pandemic is the opportunity to literally stop, reflect and introspect. One of the many aspects that most people may be thinking about during COVID-19 is man’s relationship with nature and the environment. No matter how bad COVID-19 might seem, there are some positive elements of the lockdown… for the first time in living memory, almost all human activity literally stopped during the COVID-19 pandemic. Drone footage from most modern cities around the world, according to the latest media reports, showed endearing scenes of nature reclaiming its natural place…

by Tendani Mantshimuli and Vimal Chagan  On Wednesday, Finance Minister Tito Mboweni tabled a national emergency budget outlining reprioritisation of spending in light of the impact of the pandemic. Apart from numerous COVID-19 health and frontline services, boosts to local government spend and talk of potential infrastructure injections, Mboweni laid out no real reprieve for the average income-earning consumer – even as he detailed the dramatically worsened economic environment that consumers must face. While ‘protecting the most vulnerable’ was a driving theme in the budget reallocation, conspicuously absent was any mention of relief for all but the poorest members of…

By Kashira Naidoo and Zach George According to UNICEF’s Generation 2030/Africa Report, over the next three decades, almost two billion babies will be born in Africa. In fact, the report predicts that, by 2050, roughly 40% of all births, and the same percentage of all children, in the world will be in Africa – a massive increase on the 10% of the 1950s. It’s a well-known fact that the youth are the primary consumers of technology. It’s a fact that puts Africa, with its literally hundreds of millions of young people, firmly on the map as a significant global launchpad…

Nothing will be the same in the world post-COVID 19.  As our economy slowly starts to reopen following a crippling lockdown, the realisation that consumer behaviour and the drivers of consumption patterns have been radically altered is laid bare. The financial and health impacts of COVID-19 and the lockdown are patently obvious.  What is opaque, however, is how the changes to daily work and living routines are going to manifest in our societies and business environments for the long term. There will be a butterfly effect across every single industry sector and societal structure, and in this regard, insurance and…

Tech gadgets make life easier and fun! That said, if you are really in love with tech gadgets, then you ought to watch your spending. Most tech gadgets are usually very costly, and you are perhaps wondering how you can save bucks buying them. Well, we have compiled a few tips you can use to save more when purchasing your favourite electronic gadgets. Research before buying a tech gadget For starters, the best way to shop smart is to research.  You need to compare prices and quality of different brands, both online and offline, if you can. Keep in mind…

Huawei has taken its ICT Academies which are run in several South African tertiary institutions, online to ensure that students do not miss out on crucial learning during the Covid-19 outbreak. Huawei is also offering several incentives to students who complete the training and exam. “By registering for these courses online, students can make good use of this potentially disruptive period to gain certification from Huawei and make themselves more attractive to employers. Given the uncertainty that lies ahead, this is more valuable than ever,” says Tsholofelo Llale, Huawei’s ICT Talent Development Manager. “The online training has been very informative.…

“Let’s stand up for our healthcare heroes!” This is our call to fellow citizens in solidarity with healthcare workers currently stretched to the limit due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus. We, 2Care4Carers, are a team of professionals, with a shared mission to assist and support hospitals during this challenging time in our country and the world at large. As COVID-19 continues to demand more and stretch facilities beyond the limit, we call on individuals and organisations alike to join this initiative, which aims to assist by raising funds and securing donations of essential goods for our caregivers. We would like to…

by Ralph Hamann and Scott Drimie In South Africa a range of social solidarity networks have emerged to respond to the COVID-19 hunger crisis. They are a vital part of the societal response because of their speed, innovation, and local responsiveness. They complement the central role of government. Yet the government is struggling to develop this partnership and risks stifling solidarity networks with bureaucratic control. Government responses to crises are crucial. But the scale and complexity of the current crisis are too great for the government acting alone. It is constrained by its prior way of working, which emphasises standardisation…

by Julia de Kadt The COVID-19 pandemic is a fundamentally social and societal event. The virus spreads between people, and impacts individuals, households and communities. Any country’s response to the pandemic must be guided by social data and expertise as much as by medical data and expertise. Failing to identify and address social impacts of the pandemic opens the way for devastating social damage and loss of life. Reliable and openly available social data are key to ensuring that a functional society emerges from this pandemic, rather than one more desperately vulnerable than before. This is as true in South…

by Marcos E. García-Ojeda I, like many Americans, miss the pre-pandemic world of hugging family and friends, going to work and having dinner at a restaurant. A protective vaccine for SARS-Cov2 is likely to be the most effective public health tool to get back to that world. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, cautiously estimates that a vaccine could be available in 12 to 18 months. I am a professor of microbiology and immunology and study how the immune system develops. I think Dr. Fauci’s estimate is an optimistic one, but possible. Traditional vaccine…

The sudden disruption that COVID-19 has brought on the working world has challenged businesses to shift and innovate at an unprecedented speed and scale. Those of us equipped to be working from home find ourselves in the middle of a worldwide experiment in WFH (work from home) culture, but when it comes to the question of returning to the workplace, expert opinions on the matter seem to agree on one thing: there is no “back to normal” – only the “new normal” in a post-pandemic world. Very few businesses can operate remotely on a permanent basis, and so a return…

Canon South Africa announced the appointment of its new Managing Director, David Preston, in January 2020. Preston, who has risen through the ranks over the years, from his first position as a Direct Salesman in 1988 to Sales Manager leading one of the first teams in the UK selling Canon’s range of colour laser copiers. He has held multiple positions in sales and marketing over the years, as well as roles in channel sales and as Head of Indirect Sales for EMEA created the first consistent Partner Program. Joining Canon South Africa from a London based role, Preston’s last assignment…

by Christopher Webb, and Natasha Vally South African President Cyril Ramaphosa recently announced a significant package of social and economic measures to address the fallout from the country’s COVID-19 lockdown. The package includes a R50 billion increase to the value of existing social grants, a new grant and delivery of food parcels to poor households. All will last for six months. The news came after civil society organisations, researchers and unions expressed concerns about the shortfall in existing welfare support. The social grant increases are particularly necessary now. They will keep millions from starvation. But after the crisis has abated…

by Johannes Becker and David Starobinski On April 10, Apple and Google announced a coronavirus exposure notification system that will be built into their smartphone operating systems, iOS and Android. The system uses the ubiquitous Bluetooth short-range wireless communication technology. There are dozens of apps being developed around the world that alert people if they’ve been exposed to a person who has tested positive for COVID-19. Many of them also report the identities of the exposed people to public health authorities, which has raised privacy concerns. Several other exposure notification projects, including PACT, BlueTrace and the Covid Watch project, take…

by Mmaki Jantjies South Africa’s education system is complex, with historical inequalities dating back to apartheid. Most of the country’s pupils come from disadvantaged backgrounds. Language is an issue; most pupils do not speak English as a mother tongue, yet English dominates in many classrooms. And, as the COVID-19 crisis has showed, there’s a huge digital divide at play. Read more: Five things South Africa must get right for tech in schools to work The ongoing effects of the virus have kept pupils and teachers at home. This has necessitated a move to e-learning. In theory, this could be an…

by Alison Gillwald; Anri van der Spuy, and Gabriella Razzano Tracking people infected with COVID-19 has become an important weapon in global responses to combatting the virus. Through the use of geo-location, mobile technology offers a simple solution for tracing people possibly exposed to COVID-19. With big data analytics there is the potential for tracking the pandemic’s spread, and employing analytics to forecast future patterns of contagion. But at what cost? These are exceptional times calling for extraordinary measures. But do they justify the wholesale sacrifice of our rights? Concerns loom large across the globe. More than 100 civil society…

by Gale Ure The search for a COVID-19 vaccine has sparked international media controversy and negative sentiment around the potential harm of people taking part in clinical trials once the research enters its human testing phase. A wave of anger was ignited when two top French doctors said on live TV that coronavirus vaccines should be tested on poor Africans. The doctors later apologised for suggesting that COVID-19 vaccine trials should be carried out on a continent where the people were largely impoverished, with limited resources, and unable to protect themselves. The statements made by Camille Locht and Jean-Paul Mira…

by Andrew Brown During a pandemic, access to accurate and current information is key. Data sharing is more important than ever under the current coronavirus pandemic. One of the key tenets of the government’s mooted National Health Insurance is that public and private healthcare be able to share patient data as the person moves through the system. This data should be secured and only shared with the patient’s permission. All healthcare practitioners, regardless of whether they’re public or private sector, face an enormous challenge around capturing patient information accurately, one way of doing that would be to allow the patient…