Author: Gugu Lourie

The Smart Africa Alliance has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Bayobab and Africa50 to provide regulatory and policy support for Project East to West. Project East to West is dedicated to connecting landlocked African nations through an expansive terrestrial fiber optic network. This collaboration underscores the significance of pan-African cooperation in building telecommunication highways, crucial for addressing the growing demand and requirement for affordable connectivity solutions across Africa. Frédéric Schepens, Bayobab Group CEO shares, “We are thrilled to join hands with the Smart Africa Alliance on Project East to West. This collaborative endeavour signifies the power of pan-African…

Black investors participating in YeboYethu, the black economic empowerment initiative of Vodacom SA, are poised to receive dividends exceeding R48.7 million. Established in 2008, the Vodacom YeboYethu empowerment programme enabled black individuals to acquire discounted Vodacom SA shares. It’s important to note that YeboYethu holds no ownership, beneficial interests, or rights to Vodacom Group shares. For the six months ending on September 30, 2023, YeboYethu received a dividend of R377.7 million from Vodacom, prompting the empowerment company to declare an interim dividend of 92 cents per share. Also read: R74 Million in Dividends Unclaimed in Vodacom’s YeboYethu YeboYethu, the broad-based…

Brace your credit card; Black Friday is coming! It represents a massive opportunity for small to medium-sized businesses to compete with larger retailers, as shoppers take to the internet en masse to find the best possible deals. But those deals will only happen if one thing is firmly in place: trust. According to a recent PwC consumer spending trends report¹, 40% of consumers are open to buying directly from a brand’s website. But, a recent report² by The University of Pretoria points out that trust is one of the single most important factors when trading online. So, how do small to medium-sized businesses…

The global Covid-19 pandemic saw retailers respond to consumers’ demands for online shopping. This growth has translated into exponential growth for the courier industry. By 2019 Fastway Couriers, SA’s largest network of independently owned last-mile courier service providers, was growing by 9.2% year-on-year. In 2022, Post Covid-19 and amidst the local e-commerce boom, that catapulted to 35.7% year-on-year. Daniel Lombard, Fastway Couriers MD, says the company anticipates moving around 14 million parcels this year, as consumers recognise the convenience and cost-effectiveness of retaining home deliveries from retailers. Lombard says the growth in last mile courier deliveries have their roots in both traditional…

Discover unbeatable November deals before stocks run out! Vodacom is your gateway to massive savings on both sim-only data plans and smartphones this Black November. As part of this exclusive promotion, enjoy incredible discounts of up to 75% on SIM-only data deals. These offers are valid from November 16th to December 6th, 2023. Don’t miss out on the chance to seize a SIM-only 700GB data deal for just R349 per month on a 36-month contract, resulting in an impressive saving of R26,280. Alternatively, opt for the SIM-only 900GB data deal at R399 per month on a 36-month contract and pocket…

The festive season can often bring hefty price tags. Apart from the cost of living during this particularly social time of the year, there’s the price of Christmas presents for loved ones and long-awaited holiday destinations. There might even be a car on the festive shopping wishlist. But what if the budget only stretches to a car costing no more than R50,000? What budget-friendly and reliable options can consumers find on the used car market in this price bracket? Cars priced under R50,000 are expected to be somewhat long in the tooth, high on mileage and short on creature comforts. Yet,…

Toyota’s Kinto One car subscription, which was launched in July 2022, is gaining popularity in South Africa. The full-service and pay-for-use subscription provides individuals and businesses with the advantage of driving new cars without the need for ownership. The introductory offer was set at R2,999 per month for 12 months (18,000km) on a Toyota Vitz 1.0 manual. Kinto One has already seen explosive growth in the South African market, both from a consumer and trade perspective. In just over a year, hundreds of customers have subscribed to a new Toyota, with the subscriber base growing steadily month-on-month showing a great…

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles has joined forces with DHL Express to conduct a pilot test featuring the ID.Buzz Cargo fleet in South Africa. Over the next six months, four ID.Buzz Cargo units will be stationed at DHL Express Service Centres in Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban. These units are earmarked for specialized last-mile delivery services as part of DHL’s local pilot initiative aimed at achieving global zero emissions logistics. This collaboration marks a significant step in realising Volkswagen Group South Africa’s electric vehicle strategy for the Volkswagen brand in the country. “Our partnership with DHL Express on the ID.Buzz Cargo test…

FedEx Express serves more than 100 markets across the AMEA (Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa) region. This was contained in the FedEx’s annual economic impact report, analysing the company’s worldwide network and role in fueling innovation during its 2023 fiscal year. The study demonstrates the positive impact FedEx has on individuals and communities around the globe — otherwise known as the ‘FedEx Effect’. The study found that with its extensive network, FedEx Express contributed 0.3% of net economic output in the Transportation, Storage, and Communications sector in AMEA during FY 2023. Across all sectors of the AMEA economy, FedEx…

Volvo Car SA has recorded a significant year-on-year increase in sales of its plug-in hybrid models, demonstrating the local market’s growing appetite for electrified vehicles from the Swedish luxury brand. Over the first nine months of 2023, registrations of Volvo’s plug-in hybrid vehicles in South Africa grew by more than 33% compared with the same reporting period in 2022. This comes after the Gothenburg-based firm recently detailed its dominance of the fully electric premium C-SUV segment. The XC90 Recharge plug-in hybrid – which is currently the flagship in the local Volvo line-up – was the key driver of this latest sales…