Author: Gugu Lourie

South Africa’s Communications Minister Faith Muthambi wants the state to have total control of the SABC and has introduced legislation that would give her the final say on who is appointed to the broadcaster’s board, which has been backed by cabinet, according to the Sunday Times. The Broadcasting Amendment Bill, which was tabled on Friday would in effect enable Muthambi to turn the SABC into a state broadcaster, usurping the power of parliament to have a say who sits on the board. The Sunday Times said the new bill would also allow for a ‘nomination committee’ to be set up by Muthambi…

ShowMax is planning to widen its customer base with a new prepaid voucher option available online via FNB’s eBucks Shop. By Staff Writer ShowMax, the internet-based subscription video on demand service with Africa’s largest collection of TV series and movies is set to expand its customer base with a new prepaid voucher option. eBucks, First National Bank’s rewards programme is the first partner to distribute the vouchers, which is done electronically via the eBucks Shop on FNB’s online banking website. The vouchers come in one, three, and six-month denominations and can be debited directly from a customer’s account,…

Four men have been arrested in possession of suspected stolen property valued at around R42 000 in Tarlton, police said on Saturday. By Genevieve Quintal, NewsAgency Officers were patrolling the R24 when they received a tip off about a white Mazda double cab bakkie on its way to deliver suspected stolen goods at a house in the Norman informal settlement, police spokesperson Constable Lucky Matome said. The officers responded and were able to arrest the four, who were aged between 27 and 47. The men were found in possession of 11 cellphone tower batteries. The group is expected to appear in…

New Delhi – The Indian government’s information wing was at the centre of creative jokes on microblogging site Twitter on Friday after it tinkered with and briefly put out a photograph of Prime Minister Narendra Modi surveying floods in Tamil Nadu. By NewsAgency The original photograph put out by the Press Information Bureau (PIB) on Thursday showed Modi looking out of a aircraft window at a hazy scene of what looked like fields under water. For a brief while the window view changed to – from that height an unnaturally clear – scene of an urban landscape with buildings drowning…

Imagine never again forgetting where you parked your car, or that last item you had on your grocery list, or why you walked into this room anyway. If you trust media stories about research currently under way at Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to build an implantable device to restore memory, you might not have to worry about these memory lapses in the future. By Jyutika Mehta Many neuroscientists share the dream of neuroprosthetic technology that could help damaged brains function. Many such devices are in various stages of experimentation. Beyond helping those with impaired memories, the next step could…

Zimbabwe’s biggest mobile operator Econet Wireless Zimbabwe is set to get at least $300m from China Development Bank and ZTE. By Malcom Sharara, NewsAgency The loan agreement was announced in South Africa, during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit. In a press statement released on Friday, Econet Zimbabwe said it will get the lion’s share from a new loan facility of $500m Econet Global negotiated with the Chinese companies. Econet Wireless Zimbabwe CEO Douglas Mboweni said the loan facility that had been negotiated at group level would help consolidate its market position and also introduce new service. “With this facility we will…

Thirty young graduate garage developers from Khayelitsha and Gugulethu are competing in the MTN SA Foundation Community App Challenge in partnership with mLab for the best apps in the education and health categories. The challenge is aimed at empowering young developers who want to start their own businesses and make a difference in their communities. The overall winners will qualify to enter the 2016 MTN Business App of the Year Awards as well as financial support towards advertisement of the winning app. “We are very excited to be partnering with mLab for the MTN SA Foundation Community App Challenge.…

Mobile network MTN  hasn’t yet asked South Africa’s department of telecommunications and postal services for help regarding its multi-billion dollar fine in Nigeria. By Gareth van Zyl, NewsAgency This was according to Minister Siyabonga Cwele in an interview with Fin24 along the sidelines of a Telkom round-table discussion in Sandton on Thursday. MTN announced on October 26 that the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) had fined it $5.2bn for failing to disconnect up to five million unregistered SIM cards in that country in a timely manner. MTN is Nigeria’s biggest mobile network with over 60 million subscribers in that country. However, in…

Nasdaq and JSE-listed tech firm Net1 on Friday announced that 600,000 EasyPay Everywhere accounts have been opened since the launch of this product in June 2015. By Staff Writer The company said this milestone demonstrates the exponential take-up rate of the EasyPay Everywhere product, as it reported 350,000 EPE accounts at the end of October 2015. EasyPay Everywhere is a fully transactional account created to serve the needs of South Africa’s unbanked and under-banked population, and is available to all consumers regardless of their financial or social status. It offers customers a comprehensive suite of financial and various financial…

Vox Telecom has today kicked off a series of Friday Frenzy promotions that aim to cut the cost of connectivity for consumers, across a range of Fat Pipe Home ADSL packages and cuts cost of connectivity for consumers. By Staff Writer Starting on 04 December, consumers are encouraged to check the Vox Telecom website every Friday and take advantage of fantastic data prices. “Our commitment to getting more end users connected, for less, means we will continue to develop best-priced deals across our Fat Pipe Home ADSL product range,” says Justin Hövener, senior product manager in Carrier and Connectivity at…