Author: Gugu Lourie

Paratus South Africa announces that construction of its latest multi-million-rand teleport in Doornkloof, Pretoria, has begun and is due for completion in August 2023. The new teleport marks another significant milestone in the company’s investment in its own infrastructure that will deliver reliable and quality satellite connectivity to South African businesses and consumers, even when power outages occur. Paratus South Africa – part of the pan-African Paratus Group – will be building the group’s largest teleport and strengthening its diverse offering of cutting-edge satellite communications services. Managing Director of Paratus South Africa, Kallie Carlsen, explains: “This project is important to…

President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to announce a Minister of Electricity and a cabinet reshuffle “in a matter of days”. This is according to Presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya, who was addressing media on Wednesday. “There are vacancies in Cabinet. We also now have a vacancy in the role of a Deputy President and so there is a sense of urgency that the President fills those vacancies as soon as possible. In a matter of days, that announcement will be made. “The President has to apply his mind. The appointment of Cabinet members and the management of Cabinet is not something…

Telkom announce plans to hike its prices, for mobile, fibre, DSL and voice products. The the Mobile, DSL & Voice portfolios price increases are effective 1 April 2023 and FTTH (Fibre to the Home) products effective 1 May 2023, respectively. With an inflation rate sitting at a record 13-year high, price increases are necessary and unavoidable to ensure long-term business sustainability. Like many other South African companies and enterprises, Telkom has been impacted by the pressures driven by prevailing macroeconomic dynamics. The imminent price increases across fixed voice, ADSL, FTTH and mobile offerings will ensure continued quality service to Telkom’s…

Money transfer company Zepz – formerly known as WorldRemit – is looking for more acquisitions and tech talent in Africa.   Zepz recently acquired IMGN Technologies, a South Africa-based software development company with 31 software engineers.   Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.   London-based money transfer company Zepz is set to play an important role in supporting the 2023 client acquisition and retention plans with its investment in technical talent in Africa.   Zepz, which operates through WorldRemit and Sendwave, says it is committed to growing its footprint, introducing new products, and optimising them on the African continent.…

Eskom on Friday morning announced the appointment of Calib Cassim as Interim Group Chief Executive Officer with immediate effect. The power utility is currently implementing Stage 6 load-shedding. Eskom said in a statement that Cassim will lead the Eskom management team until further notice. Cassim was appointed as Eskom’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO) in November 2018 after serving as Acting CFO from July 2017. He is a registered Chartered Accountant (SA) and holds a master’s degree in Business Leadership (MBL). With over 20 years of service in Eskom, his qualifications and extensive experience have provided Mr Cassim with a deep…

JSE listed REIT, Octodec Investments, today unveiled the new look and feel of its Shoprite building in the heart of the Tshwane CBD – a R60 million investment project announced in August 2022 to boost and uplift the bustling central node. Jeffrey Wapnick, MD of Octodec, says, “This project cements our commitment to the City of Tshwane which continuously presents growth opportunities for our already dominant inner-city retail and residential portfolio. It represents a renewal of our relationship and an upgrade of our service to a city that is increasingly attracting national retailers”. “We are excited to see this new…

Customers can look forward to a particularly immersive entertainment experience in the new Mercedes-Benz E-Class. Music, games and streaming content can be experienced in the car with almost all the senses. Thanks to digital innovations in the interior, the E-Class is now more intelligent, achieving a new dimension of personalisation and interaction. At the same time, the electronic architecture is more software-driven and less hardware-driven. This forms the basis for more individual updating of the interior systems in the future. The new E-Class is packed full of interesting and advanced features such as third-party apps optimised for the vehicle for…

It may come as no surprise that smart homes are the future with worldwide household penetration predicted to reach 28.8% by 2027 up from 14.2% in 2022, according to Statista. But where in the world is already embracing smart home properties and smart devices the most? To answer this, Compare The Market has created an index by analysing worldwide property listings and relevant smart home search terms. Smart homes refer to any technology that can be controlled through a smartphone or computer – think heating, lighting, and security cameras. Below are the top 25 countries according to the research Taking the…

The world’s first convertible with a purely electric drive is a MINI. From idea to small series in less than eight months. The MINI Cooper SE Convertible sets another strong impulse on the way to becoming a fully electric brand. Following the positive feedback on the unique specimen presented in summer 2022, MINI is now going ahead with a small series of the all-electric MINI Cooper SE Convertible, which represents another big step in the direction of electric mobility. The world’s first locally emission-free premium convertible in the small car segment shortens the transition period to the introduction of the…

Scatec ASA has today signed an agreement with a subsidiary of Stanlib Infrastructure Fund II, managed by Stanlib Asset Management (Stanlib), to sell its 42% equity share in the 258 MW Upington solar power plant for a gross consideration of R 979 million. Scatec, a renewable energy company in emerging markets, is headquartered in Oslo, Norway and listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange “Today’s transaction is in line with our strategy to optimise our portfolio as presented at our Capital Markets Update in September 2022 and will release capital for new investments in renewable energy,” Scatec CEO Terje Pilskog. “We…