Author: Lloyd Nedohe
Despite its successful political transition, South Africa’s digital journey is marked by stagnation, a contradiction highlighted by recent TechFinancials report. The article highlights SITA’s operational challenges and the growing trend of government departments bypassing the state’s shared IT procurement framework in favour of direct private IT services, often from vendors with questionable B-BBEE credentials (SA Home Affairs Seeks Divorce From SITA, Eyes Private IT Partners) This phenomenon underscores a fundamental constraint on South Africa’s digital transformation: the state’s ongoing struggle to reconcile its developmental aspirations with the stubborn legacies of neoliberalism, a tension acutely evident in the ICT sector’s structural and…
BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, announced last Thursday its decision to exit the $60 trillion Net Zero Asset Managers Initiative (NZAMI). The move makes BlackRock the latest Wall Street giant to withdraw from an environmentally focused investor coalition, amid mounting pressure from Republican politicians and the anticipated return of Donald Trump to the White House. BlackRock, which manages some $11.5 trillion, said that with two-thirds of its global clients committed to cutting emissions to net zero, it had made sense to join groups like the organization known as NZAMI. “However, our memberships in some of these organisations have caused…
In a landmark move towards sustainable transportation, South Africa has officially enacted a 150% tax incentive for the production of electric and hydrogen vehicles. Signed into law on January 3, 2025, the legislation is expected to unlock approximately $27 billion in investments, significantly boosting the country’s nascent electric vehicle (EV) industry. The ambitious initiative aims to position South Africa as a key regional player in the global shift towards green mobility. By targeting both local and international manufacturers, the government hopes to attract major players in the EV and hydrogen fuel cell sectors. Notably, Chinese companies are already expressing interest…
In the first half of 2023, South African auto manufacturers reported modest sales of battery electric vehicles (BEVs), with only 800 units sold nationwide. Volvo , BMW and Mini led the sales charts, with 374 and 283 units sold, respectively. Despite having over 12 million vehicles on the road, South Africa’s electric vehicle (EV) fleet remains tiny, with fewer than 2,500 EVs. This sluggish adoption rate suggests that the country, like the rest of the continent, will face significant challenges in transitioning to environmentally friendly transportation systems and embracing the EV revolution. In the aftermath of COP28, African leaders have…
Key to Apartheid’s grand architecture was the garbled design intended to provide a delusion of functional, quasi-states with their educational institutions, and broadcast media. Aided by the geospatial spread of the South African Bantustans known as TBVC (Transkei, Bophuthatswana, Venda, and Ciskei) states, Pretoria allowed them to self-provision broadcast media ecosystems (newspapers, radio, and, to a lesser extent TV). The self-provision was allowed while big brother tightfistedly locked away the means of production (radio frequencies). Unless you harboured a death wish, the content could not be at variance with the fundamental outcomes of homogenisation, manipulation, and suppression of public opinion.…
