Author: Gugu Lourie

The reopening of alcohol sales has placed a significant strain on hospital emergency rooms. The Sunday Times reported that across the country, a massive surge of people in hospital emergency rooms with alcohol-related injuries has put additional strain on health-care numbers and filled up ICU beds needed for COVID-19 patients. A hard lockdown was imposed at the end of March to curb the spread of COVID-19 while giving the government time to prepare the healthcare system for the expected spike in virus infections. Level 3 of the lockdown began on 1 June and enabled the sale of alcohol. The South African government…

MultiChoice, Africa’s biggest pay-TV operator, announced today that it expects to deliver a rise of between 35% (144 ZAR cents) and 40% (164 ZAR cents) of core headline earnings per share (HEPS) for full-year ended 31 March 2020. HEPS is South Africa’s main profit gauge. Africa’s biggest pay-TV operator said on Friday that trading profit is expected to be between 10% (R700 00) and 15% (R1.1 billion) higher than the prior year´s R7 billion. The operator attributed the improved financial performance to management’s focus on cost containment, which allowed the business to offset these challenges and drive a further reduction…

JSE-listed Metair is planning to create 3, 300 jobs in Stanger, northern KwaZulu Natal and in Silverton, Gauteng. The manufacturer, distributor and retailer of batteries and automotive components informed investors that its board has approved a R900 million capital investment programme as it gears up to benefit from a number of new vehicle types entering production in South Africa. Metair has secured key contracts to support Ford’s investment into the South African automotive industry. “The board’s approval of a R900 million capital investment, including major investments in greenfield facilities, will create approximately 3 300 new employment opportunities,” the company said…

Vodacom has launched its latest “Red Hot Dealz”, offering big discounts on large SIM-only data bundles on a 24-month contract. The Red Hot Dealz are available from 8 June 2020 to 6 July 2020. The Vodafone-owned operator is offering a 200GB data mega-deal, consisting of 100GB of anytime data and 100GB of Night Owl data plus a free 5GB video ticket, for R499per month over 24 months. In total, you get 4800GB to work, learn and play from home. There is one device that accompanies this deal: a Huawei B535-932 home router and you have to pay R204 once-off SIM and…

Irene Charnley, a former trade unionist and businesswoman, has responded to calls by Bantu Holomisa, the United Democratic Movement leader,  to immediately vacate her seat on the Public Investment Corporation (PIC) board. In a letter to Finance Minister Tito Mboweni, Holomisa said Charnley was a former beneficiary of the PIC’s funding initiatives, making her ineligible to serve as a board member. The United Democratic Movement would argue that there is enough evidence to warrant that Charnley must vacate her seat on the PIC board immediately. For more read: Irene Charnley Must Vacate Her Seat on the PIC Board, Urges Holomisa See below…

The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) announced late on Thursday that some of its key electronic services are offline. The agency apologised for the system downtime. Apologies we are offline for the following services: Bank details upload, status checking on the Website, Web applications. Our technicians are working to resolve the problem. If you get this screen please ignore and try again tomorrow #day70oflockdown @GovernmentZA @The_DSD pic.twitter.com/hYJpmvqE56 — SASSA (@OfficialSASSA) June 4, 2020 Many applicants for the R350 COVID-19 Grant were frustrated by the message and voiced their anger on Twitter: Sad thing is this was announced in…

The ANC’s alliance partners have publicly stated that the R350 COVID-19 grant for the unemployed should be made permanent. During an address with representatives from the tripartite (ANC, SACP and Cosatu), Solly Mapaila, the leader of the South African Communist Party, on Thursday suggested that there was a need to “broaden the discourse” when it comes to social grants, and the current Relief of Distress payment schedule must be lengthened. #ANC Solly Mapaila says the alliance has tabled a “broader” social grant discourse. He says the proposal to have the R350 grant on a more permanent basis should be discussed.…

The South African government will appeal a High Court judgement that has declared some of the earlier coronavirus lockdown restrictions unconstitutional. Minister for the Presidency Jackson Mthembu said while the government appeals the court judgment, current regulations remain in force and has appealed to all to observe all the health protocols that have been put in place. “The judgment sought to say that level 3 and 4 regulations were invalid – in our view, those regulations were properly enacted and within the framework of the National Disaster Management Act,” said Mthembu. Mthembu said the regulations were crafted to save lives. SA acted…

The 13 million jobless South Africans are begging for help, but their cries have been met with a deafening silence. By Friday, the South African Social Services Agency (SASSA) had received 13 million applications for the R350 Social Relief Grant. The agency also stated that only 6.3 million of these applications were properly completed and valid. The unemployed are facing an unprecedented crisis as they cannot fend for themselves because of the lockdown. A hard lockdown was imposed at the end of March to curb the spread of COVID-19 while giving the government time to prepare the healthcare system for the expected spike…

Logistics company Santova is planning to expand its presence globally as COVID-19 batters the world economy and disrupts supply chains. The JSE-listed company said it will focus on establishing a presence in strategic locations, namely India, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, and the United States. “The ‘new norm’, continuous unrelenting disruptive change, offers Santova real growth opportunities.,” Santova informed investors on Thursday. “Our focus is on exceptional client-centricity, innovation and latest technological software packages,” the group said. “We will build our business in and along real economic growth zones or trade lanes, including participating in intraregional trade between China, Japan, India, Singapore,…

A high court in South Africa has declared some of the earlier coronavirus lockdown restrictions unconstitutional, but it also ruled that level 3 remains in force for now. On Tuesday, Judge Norman Davis declared that the regulations promulgated by Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma were “unconstitutional and invalid”. The lockdown was imposed to curb the spread of the COVID-19 while giving the government time to prepare the healthcare system for the expected spike in virus infections. For more read: Lockdown Makes No Sense – Says South Africa’s Court While some citizens are pleased with Judge Davis’ decision, it is likely, in…

Irene Charnley, a former trade unionist and businesswoman, must vacate her seat on the Public Investment Corporation (PIC) board immediately, the United Democratic Movement leader, Bantu Holomisa, said. In a letter to Finance Minister Tito Mboweni, Holomisa said Charnley was a former beneficiary of the PIC’s funding initiatives, making her ineligible to serve as a board member. PIC is a state-owned asset manager that manages R2 trillion in government pension savings on behalf of the Government Employees’ Pension Fund (GEPF). In 2015, the PIC committed an investment of $100 million in Smile Telecoms, a company owned by Charnely. “This is…

Members of the public are prohibited from transporting alcohol outside of level 3 trading hours, said SAPS national spokesperson Brigadier Vish Naidoo. Speaking on Cape Talk’s Afternoon Drive with John Maytham, Naidoo said that this means that transporting booze is prohibited on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays. Naidoo added that only licensed traders are permitted to transport alcohol outside of trading hours for the purposes of restocking retail outlets. “If a person is stopped at a roadblock during the weekend and found to have alcohol in their vehicle, they will be in contravention of the lockdown regulations,” he explained.…

This Youth Month, MultiChoice Group (MCG) announced on Wednesday that it has entered into a partnership with the Youth Employment Service (YES) initiative. The partnerships have resulted in the creation of 400 new job opportunities. In addition, MCG has created 100 sports coaching learnerships through its Let’s Play initiative. The two partnerships equate to a total investment of R50 million towards putting 500 South African youth to work. These young people will be employed in industries that include telecommunication, human resource management, engineering, satellite communication, coaching and ICT. In addition, the opportunity has spread to youngsters across different provinces, including…

Ukheshe, a SMME focused digital banking platform, has launched a Track and Trace service using its existing payment ecosystem to assist consumers in managing any possible risk factors in level three lockdown. The Ukheshe app is free, user friendly and easy to download for anyone needing to transact without a bank account. Clayton Hayward, CEO and co-founder, Ukheshe, says that Covid-19 is a concern for all citizens and in addition to making the platform free for grant disbursements, Ukheshe wanted to assist in other ways. “We created a track and trace solution to assist consumers to keep updated on infection…

The River, one of South Africa’s most popular telenovelas, has halted production after one of its crew members tested positive for the coronavirus. In a statement released by Tshedza Pictures, which produces the show,  the company said it has since halted shooting and all cast and crew members have been asked to self-isolate while the necessary health protocols are being implemented. #Covid19InSA #TheRiver1Magic pic.twitter.com/qT9KoEwbv3 — Tshedza Pictures (@TshedzaPictures) June 3, 2020 They have also offered empathy and support for their colleague, and the entire cast and crew have been asked to self-isolate while health protocols are being implemented. “After I…

A high court in South Africa has declared some of the earlier coronavirus restrictions unconstitutional, but it also ruled that level 3 of the lockdown remains in force for now. The lockdown was imposed to curb the spread of the COVID-19 while giving the government time to prepare the healthcare system for the expected spike in virus infections. Locking down all business and other activities and confining millions of people to their homes was never going to be easy socially and economically. All the relevant scientific data has shown that the lockdown saved thousands of lives and set the country…

The high court has ruled that the South African government’s lockdown regulations are not legal but they will nevertheless remain in place for at least the next 14 days. “Government has taken note of the judgment delivered by the Gauteng Division of the High Court today, 2 June 2020, declaring the Alert Level 4 and Alert Level 3 Lockdown regulations unconstitutional and invalid,” said Phumla Williams, South Africa’s Cabinet spokesperson. The court suspended the declaration of invalidity for a period of 14 days. “This means that the Alert Level 3 regulations remain in operation for now,” explains Williams. “The court…

South Africa may introduce “a total prohibition for the use and consumption of alcohol by all motor vehicle operators on South African public roads.” In March, the cabinet approved the submission of the National Road Traffic Amendment Bill of 2019 to parliament. It said that once passed into law, the bill would contribute in reducing the carnage on the country’s roads. In the National Road Traffic Amendment Bill, the South African government proposes a total ban of alcohol in your system while driving a car. The bill, which was published on Monday, proposes: “Clause 46 amends section 65 by introducing a…

The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) has disapproved 1.6 million applicants for the R350 Social Relief Grant. “Over 1 597 127 have been disapproved since the applicants have some or other means of income,” according to the SASSA statement published on Monday. The agency urged applicants to respond immediately to the SMS received by SASSA and provide their banking details through a secure link. “This will enable SASSA to ensure payments are processed without delay to all eligible applicants. Citizens are reminded that there is no cut-off date for applications for this special relief grant.  Anyone who meets the…

The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) paid 116 867 people their R350 Social Relief Grant. The Government Communications and Information System (GCIS) announced on Monday on its Twitter page: #SASSACares #SocialReliefGrant @OfficialSASSA has kept the promise to pay at least 100 000 clients who applied for the Special COVID-19 Social Relief of Distress. By 31 May 2020, 116 867 clients were paid for the Special COVID-19 SRD Grant. — GCIS Media Liaison (@GCISMedia) June 1, 2020 However, GCIS seems to have forgotten to inform the millions of frustrated jobless people who have applied when they should expect their money…

While everything was locked down, daring thieves dug a tunnel and stole huge amounts of booze from a Shoprite Liquorshop in Newtown Junction, Johannesburg. Liquor sales had been banned during level five and four of the COVID-19 lockdown. That is when the thieves struck and made off with an assortment of booze that included whiskey, brandy, gin, ciders, vodka and beer worth about R300,000. The theft which involved boring through a concrete floor was only discovered on Friday because liquor outlets had been shut since the lockdown began at the end of March. A manager of the liquorshop was shocked to…

President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Monday that no school should re-open until all necessary precautions are in place. As part of the staggered approach, grades 7 and 12 were expected to return to school today. This week, teacher unions and national governing body associations called on Motshekga to urgently postpone the reopening of schools on Monday, warning that the move will only perpetuate inequalities at schools across the country. In a joint statement, the unions have raised a number of concerns, including that most provincial departments have reported that schools have not been cleaned and disinfected and that educators need…

Telkom unveiled its Big Deal for June 2020, which will enable you to enjoy nonstop, superfast internet connectivity. Uncapped LTE Business Hours is a SIM-only deal. The deal includes the following: Uncapped LTE (Business hours 00h00 – 17h00) 24-month contract Free installation R399 per month “This means that between 00h00 and 17h00 you can enjoy nonstop, superfast internet connectivity, so you can smash those work goals without busting your budget.” You can place your order in three ways: Telkom shop Call 10213 Order online

iiDENTIFii, South Africa’s digital identity artificial intelligence company, announced on Sunday it has expanded its platform onto the Microsoft Azure cloud. iiDENTIFii provides a secure and user-friendly technology platform that authenticates physical identities in a connected world. They are on a mission to stop identity fraud by making seamless identity authentication accessible to everyone, everywhere, on any mobile device. The exponential rate at which iiDENTIFii is growing has allowed for their platform to be deployed across a multi-hosted global infrastructure within a matter of months. This locally based, innovative, artificial intelligence company which is focused on the augmentation of online…