Author: Gugu Lourie

Embattled Cell C faces more trouble on Monday when its workers go on strike over imminent retrenchments. The Information Communications and Technology Union (ICTU) announced at the weekend that its members would down tools after the cellphone company insisted the retrenchment process involving thousands of workers could not be reversed. In a letter on Friday, the union said: “ICTU hereby notifies Cell C that its members will be embarking on industrial action from 12 October 2020 at 08:00 at all Cell C buildings and shops in protest against the retrenchments of more than 1,600 employees you are intending to undertake”.…

MTN announced on Friday afternoon the appointment of a new CEO for MTN Liberia Lonestar Cell. Rahul De, the current chief marketing officer of MTN Nigeria, will take the helm at the company. His appointment is effective on November 1, 2020. De replaces Uche Ofodile who departed Lonestar Cell MTN in July to become the CEO of MTN Benin. With 23 years of experience in the telco space, ranging across multiple geographies, Rahul has spent the last two decades in senior leadership roles driving growth and leading business transformation. “I would like to congratulate Rahul on his appointment,” said MTN…

Insiders have revealed that Vodacom South Africa has installed an indoor RF site (Antenna) at the headquarters of cash-strapped Cell C in Sandton. TechFinancials has been told by the insiders, who spoke on condition of anonymity, that both Vodacom and Cell C were busy testing this indoor RF site. The insiders say the installation of the antenna is part of a process to test the site and ensure a seamless move of Cell C’s prepaid subscribers to the Vodacom network. They say once the move is completed cellphones belonging to Cell C customers will reflect Vodacom as their network provider.…

The South African Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) has joined efforts to save thousands of jobs at Cell C. The Information Communications and Technology Union (ICTU) and African Democratic Change (ADEC) party have been in a public fight with Cell C over its plans to retrench 1,500 workers. Saftu deputy general secretary, Moleko J Phakedi, said in the letter to Cell C: “We herewith wish to propose an urgent meeting with you either on Friday 10th or Monday 12th October at 11:00 at your Woodmead office.” ICTU is an affiliate of Saftu, which is led by union firebrand Zwelinzima Vavi.…

The African Democratic Change (ADEC) party has demanded that Cell C shuts its stores today. The demand follows the breakdown of talks between management at Cell C and representatives of thousands of workers, who are facing retrenchment. Cell C earlier announced plans to retrench 1,500 workers. The embattled cellphone company also said it intends to close down 150 stores. ADEC says it wrote to the CEO of Cell C Douglas Craigie Stevenson and requested a meeting to discuss proposals to save jobs. The political party said it never received any response from the company. Spurned, members of ADEC and the Information Communications and…

Vodacom and Lesotho government are to lock horns over the mobile operator’s operating licence, which has been revoked by small Southern Africa’s landlocked country. The Lesotho Communications Authority (LCA) has revoked the unified license. The authority has imposed a staggering fine of M134 million for Vodacom’s alleged contravention of section 97 of the Companies Act 2011 and certain conditions of its unified license. Vodacom said in a statement that it would lodge an urgent application in the High Court in Lesotho to have it reviewed and set aside the decisions of the Lesotho Communications Authority.  “We have no option but…

Liquid Telecom is embarking on another retrenchment exercise two months after the largest fibre company in Africa announced it was undergoing a “strategic repositioning”. The strategic repositioning has already resulted in the retrenchment of 100 workers in August. Although the fibre company is delivering a good set of financial results, it still plans to retrench more workers. In the year ended 29 February 2020, Liquid Telecom reported revenue growth of 17.5% to $795.7 million (R13.2 billion), while earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) rose 15.7%. “The company is of the preliminary view that it is not competitive in…

JSE-listed Blue Label Telecoms is to seek an urgent court interdict to stop members of the Information Communication and Technology Union (ICTU) from protesting outside its headquarters in Sandton. This is according to a notice of motion and founding affidavit seen by TechFinancials.   Since Tuesday this week, the union has been protesting against retrenchments, parallel restructuring, and recapitalisation by Cell C. For more read: UNION THREATENS TOTAL SHUT DOWN OF CELL C OVER PROPOSED JOB CUTS   ICTU is an affiliate of the South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU), which is led by Zwelinzima Vavi.   The union represents about 1,300…

The new BMW 128ti is positioned between the BMW 120i and the range-topping BMW M135i xDrive. With its specially tuned M Sport suspension and Torsen limited-slip differential, the new BMW 128ti sets its sights on the Volkswagen Golf GTI. The BMW 128ti will be made available to the South African market in the first quarter of 2021. The BMW 128ti carries over firmer anti-roll bars and anti-roll bar mounts with high preloads from the BMW M135i xDrive. Stiffer springs and shock absorbers adapted accordingly to provide excellent driving dynamics. In addition, the front-wheel-drive 128ti is around 80 kilograms lighter than the…

The dynamic new Jaguar XF gets a new look with seamlessly integrated, connected and future-proof technologies. The executive saloon has received a refined look on the outside, plus some much-needed updates inside. The exterior features a new front bumper with larger and lower air intakes for increased visual width. This visual width is enhanced by a wider front grille featuring a mesh design detail inspired by Jaguar’s heritage logo. The side fender vents now feature the iconic Leaper emblem, demonstrating the exceptional attention to detail found right across the vehicle. The XF has an all-new interior with a heightened luxury,…

Vivendi SA’s Canal+ buys a stake in pay-TV operator MultiChoice, the company informed investors on Monday. MultiChoice disclosed on the JSE that Canal+ has acquired 6.5% stake in the company. “As a publicly held company, MultiChoice regularly engages with its strategic partners and maintains an open dialogue with the investment community,” MultiChoice said. “The group’s policy is not to comment on its individual shareholders nor on its interactions with them. The company remains committed to acting in the best interests of all shareholders and to create sustainable long-term shareholder value.”  Canal+ Group, the pay-TV subsidiary of France’s Vivendi,  is “evolving from an…

The Information Communication Technology Union (ICTU) has threatened to shut down Cell C after the embattled mobile phone operator failed to reach an agreement with the union. ICTU has filed an urgent application at the Johannesburg Labour Court to stop embattled Cell C from carrying out processes that could lead to the retrenchment of workers. Cell C is facing off with the ICTU at the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation, and Arbitration (CCMA) regarding retrenchments. The ICTU, which is an affiliate of the South African Federation of Trade Unions led by Zwelinzima Vavi, is the sole worker representative at Cell C. The union…

The Information Communication Technology Union (ICTU) has filed an urgent application at the Johannesburg Labour Court to stop embattled Cell C from carrying out processes that could lead to the retrenchment of workers. Cell C is facing off with the ICTU at the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation, and Arbitration (CCMA) regarding retrenchments. The ICTU, which is an affiliate of the South African Federation of Trade Unions led by Zwelinzima Vavi, is the sole worker representative at Cell C. TechFinancials is reliably informed that ICTU filed the papers at the court yesterday. However, sources close to the matter say the urgent application…

The African Democratic Change (ADEC) has told bosses at Cell C to suspend plans to retrench workers and warned the embattled company that it faces a wave of country-wide protests if it goes ahead with job cuts. TechFinancials has it on good authority that the mobile phone operator is planning to retrench 40% of its junior management and semi-skilled staff. At the same time, Cell C is facing off with the Information Communication Technology Union (ICTU) at the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration. The ICTU, which is an affiliate of the South African Federation of Trade Unions led by Zwelinzima Vavi,…

Embattled Cell C is trying to appoint a managed services provider to handle its contract and broadband customers. If a deal is secured, the move will enable Cell C to hold onto its post-paid customers. Impeccable sources on Tuesday said Cell C was in talks with Comm Equipment Company (CEC), a handset financing company owned by JSE-listed Blue Label Telecoms. Blue Label Telecoms owns 45% of struggling Cell C, and as the biggest shareholder it is leading a process to recapitalise the business. TechFinancials sources say CEC is interested in taking over the servicing of Cell C’s contract and broadband…

Prosus Ventures (formerly Naspers Ventures) is investing in Pakistan-based on-demand transport and logistics platform, Bykea. The company wants to help Bykea to execute further on their vision to become Pakistan’s ‘Super-App’. Prosus has a primary listing on Euronext Amsterdam and a secondary listing on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, and is majority-owned by Naspers. Today, Prosus companies and associates help improve the lives of around a fifth of the world’s population. Every day, millions of people use the products and services of companies that Prosus has invested in, acquired or built, including Avito, Brainly, BYJU’S, Codecademy, ElasticRun, eMAG, Eruditus, Honor, iFood,…

Vodacom has announced that it will offer the latest products from Apple, including Apple Watch Series 6, delivering breakthrough wellness and fitness capabilities, and Apple Watch SE, the ultimate combination of design, function, and value. The Vodafone-owned telco said customers will be able to order the Apple Watch Series 6 and Apple Watch SE from 2 October 2020. Apple Watch Series 6 Apple Watch Series 6  introduced a revolutionary Blood Oxygen feature that offers users even more insight into their overall wellness. It also delivers many notable hardware improvements, including a faster S6 System in Package (SiP) and next-generation always-on altimeter,…

Woolworths’ top five executives took home R59 million in 2020, but the company’s South Africa frontline workers shared R25.6 million, the company’s latest annual report revealed. Roy Bagattini, the boss of Woolworths, was paid R15.7 million. The total remuneration for Bagattini, appointed as Group CEO on 17 February 2020, includes conditional sign-on bonuses, relocation, rental accommodation, legal expenses, and incidental relocation expenses amounting to R9.5 million. His base salary was R4.6 million. Former CEO Ian Moir took home a salary of R13.9 million. Moir resigned as Group CEO on 16 February 2020.  The company said from 17 February Moir earned an…

Capitec Bank revealed on Wednesday it has attracted more than 1.1 million new customers on its banking app. According to the bank, its clients are able to stay safe and bank from home using its banking app, and benefit from lower transaction fees and zero data charges. At the end of August 2020, Capitec said there were 4 million app users versus 2.9 million in the same period in 2019. The banking group added that it recorded 5.2 million USSD users at the end of August 2020 compared to 4.7 million in 2019. “Certain clients use both the app and…

Blue Label Telecoms has published its annual report for 2020, showing how much its joint chief executive officers were paid. Blue Label joint-CEOs Mark and Brett Levy were paid a combined R26 million – taking home just under R13 million each. The salaries comprise a basic salary of R9.7 million. In addition to the basic salary of R9.733 million each, the joint CEOs will receive R3.3 million each in line with the restraint of trade agreement that was concluded with them in November 2017. The tenure of the restraint of trade undertaking is 36 months, which commenced on 1 November…

Deloitte, a consulting firm, and Stephen Koseff, a former CEO of Investec, have been appointed as advisors for Cell C’s recapitalisation process. “Deloitte was appointed to advise on the recapitalisation process. An Investment Committee that meets bi-weekly, was established under the Chairmanship of Stephen Koseff, to work with Deloitte on this difficult task as it involved negotiations with many lenders and bondholders from many different jurisdictions,” Larry Nestadt, chairman of Blue Label Telecoms, disclosed in the company’s latest annual report. “I am most grateful for their efforts and am confident a settlement will be reached within the near future.” Blue…

South African firm  Lumkani has received €1,000,000 (just under R 20 million). Lumkani is a low-cost solution providing community-wide alerts for fires in informal settlements. This comes after Lumkani took top honours at the European Research and Innovation Days event for the EIC Horizon Prize on Affordable High-Tech for Humanitarian Aid. The prize is funded under Horizon 2020, the EU research and innovation programme, as part of the European Innovation Council (EIC) pilot. It rewards the best, proven, cost-effective, technology-based solutions for humanitarian aid in five categories: shelter and related assistance; water, hygiene and sanitation; energy; health and medical care;…

Channel VAS is the premium FinTech provider of mobile financial services, airtime credit & airtime advance services, handset loans and big data analytics, all through cutting edge proprietary analytics tools. Operating since 2012 and expanded to more than 42 countries in Africa, Middle East, Asia and LATAM with a focus in emerging markets, Channel VAS supported mobile network operators (MNOs) and financial institutions to provide over R204 million ($12 million) credit daily to more than 750 million people in 2020 and continues to expand to new markets globally. The company, which is valued at R548 million in 2020 versus R423…

Chinese smartphone manufacturer Oppo is investing in South Africa with local head office and a commitment to making world-leading innovations more accessible. Oppo is the second-biggest smartphone manufacturer in China. From today South Africans will join the 350-million people who experience technology through Oppo’s uniquely familiar and personalised user experience around the world. Soon, South African consumers stand to benefit from the innovations like SuperVOOC rapid charging and bespoke audio tuning that Oppo has spread around the globe over the last 16 years. “Oppo is committed to offering South African businesses and consumers the best technology experience possible and is…

BMW has finally revealed its new M3 and M4 Coupe models that are likely to launch locally towards the middle of 2021. South Africans are not getting the standard M3 and M4 Coupe models as well as the manual gearbox. Only the BMW M3 Competition Sedan and the BMW M4 Competition Coupe will be introduced to the South African market. Both models will be introduced in the first half of 2021. BMW M3 Competition Sedan and BMW M4 Competition Coupé with eight-speed M Steptronic transmission. Competition models also available with M xDrive all-wheel-drive system for the first time, est. from summer 2021. M xDrive links up with Active M Differential, rear-wheel-biased…