Author: Gugu Lourie

The South African Police Service (SAPS) commemorated this year’s National Police Day by rallying support for the children of fallen police officers, standing firm in their duty. “On National Police Day, we honor the sacrifices of our men and women in blue, who courageously safeguard South Africa,” said General Bheki Cele. Cabinet designated 27 January as National Police Day in 2005, a tribute to those who serve. In the past four years alone, SAPS mourns the loss of 140 officers who perished while serving, many of whom were the main providers for their families. On Thursday, 25 January 2024, over…

South African Reserve Bank (SARB) Governor Lesetja Kganyago has announced that the bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has unanimously agreed to keep repurchase rate (repo rate) at 8.25%. Kganyago announced this at a press briefing on Thursday afternoon. “At the current repurchase rate level, policy is restrictive, consistent with the inflation outlook and the need to address rising inflation expectations. Serious upside risks to the inflation trajectory from global and domestic sources are evident and… the economic outlook is highly uncertain. “The inflation and repo rate projections from the updated QPM [Quarterly Projection Model] remain a broad policy guide, changing…

Eskom has declared a temporary suspension of load-shedding for a duration of five hours on Wednesday, January 24, 2024, owing to the availability of ample generation capacity. Commencing with stage 1 load-shedding in the morning, Eskom will refrain from power cuts between 11:00 and 16:00. Subsequently, the power utility will initiate stage 2 load-shedding, which will continue until 05:00 on Thursday, January 25, 2024. Resuming stage 1 load-shedding, Eskom will implement power cuts from 05:00 to 16:00 on Thursday. Eskom has indicated its intention to issue an update regarding the load-shedding schedule on Thursday afternoon following this period.

Eskom is spearheading a transformative journey for the residents of Clarens, propelling the picturesque art town towards a new era as a smart town. Through the strategic implementation of load curtailment, Eskom is playing a pivotal role in reshaping the community’s energy landscape. This innovative approach not only addresses energy efficiency but also marks a significant step in the evolution of Clarens, blending its artistic charm with cutting-edge technology for a sustainable and forward-looking future. For the residents of a tiny town that depends on an economic inflow from tourists visiting their small businesses mostly over weekends and holidays, power…

Embarking on a new era of entertainment, MTN today introduced a lineup of Showmax streaming deals. Brace yourself for a thrilling journey into the world of limitless content, sparking excitement and joy, all starting at just R19/week. The deals are available from 12 February 2024. First up is the Showmax Premier League LivePass, which will offer MTN customers live-streaming access to all 380 matches via Showmax’s brand-new Showmax Premier League plan for mobile. For just R79 per month the offer includes sufficient streaming data to watch all live matches. Subscribers will also have access to additional Premier League content like…

Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi unveiled a R560 million bursary fund to support the educational pursuits of over 4000 high-achieving matriculants from no-fee schools and institutions catering to learners with special needs in the Gauteng region.  The fund, administered by the Gauteng City Region Academy (GCRA), aims to eliminate financial barriers and nurture the academic potential of these students. Addressing the packed auditorium at Vodaworld in Midrand, Premier Lesufi commended the learners, saying, “I didn’t invite you here; you invited yourself with your marks.” Emphasising the uniqueness of the GCRA Bursary, he declared, “A bursary that does not have any limits,…

Eskom has declared a scheduled power outage in Zonkizizwe, Gauteng, in order to facilitate necessary maintenance on the distribution network. Zonkizizwe is in Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality. “Eskom would like to inform customers in Zonkizizwe of an electreicity supply interruption due to maintenance to be conducted on the distribution network,” said the company in post on X. Eskom added that the outages will affect customers in Zonkizizwe Zones 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and Nkanini on Tuesday, 23 Januray 2023, from 09h00 to 18h00. “The interruption in electricity supply is necessary to perform maintenance on our distribution power lines,” said…

On January 12, 2024, the Microsoft security team detected a nation-state attack targeting corporate systems. Swiftly activating their response process, Microsoft investigated, disrupted malicious activities, mitigated the attack, and denied further access to the threat actor, identified as Midnight Blizzard, a Russian state-sponsored actor also known as Nobelium, the company wrote in a blog post. “In alignment with their commitment to responsible transparency, as outlined in the Secure Future Initiative (SFI), Microsoft shares this update on the incident.” Timeline of the Attack Commencing in late November 2023, Microsoft said Midnight Blizzard utilised a password spray attack to compromise a legacy…

Convergence Partners, owned by ICT industry veteran Andile Ngcaba, is buying South African IT services group Datacentrix from the previously listed Alviva Holdings. Convergence Partners Digital Infrastructure Fund (CPDIF) has entered into a definitive agreement with Alviva Holdings to acquire 100% of Datacentrix Group. The acquisition is alongside the existing Datacentrix management team that has successfully led the company for over 20 years.  Alviva is exiting Datacentrix pursuant to its delisting from the JSE in early 2023, to focus on its core operations in hardware distribution. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The transaction aligns with the CPDIF’s strategy of investing…

Global logistic firm FedEx introduces “fdx,” its pioneering data-driven commerce platform, revolutionising the entire customer journey. This comprehensive solution simplifies demand growth, boosts conversion rates, optimises fulfillment processes, and streamlines returns for businesses. Setting itself apart, FedEx stands as the sole logistics company providing end-to-end e-commerce solutions on a unified platform, catering to businesses of all sizes. The platform may compete with Amazon. “FedEx is transforming into a digitally-led business powered by our extensive physical transportation network, leveraging our scale and insights from moving 15 million packages per day,” said FedEx Corp. president and CEO Raj Subramaniam, who announced the…