Author: Gugu Lourie

Douglas Craigie-Stevenson, Managing Director of Vodacom Business Africa, tells us about the company’s evolution and innovation. Offering total communications solutions to multinational and pan-African companies across the continent, Vodacom Business Africa is a key player in the ICT market in Africa and beyond. In this Q&A video, Managing Director Douglas Craigie-Stevenson talks about the company, who they are, the services offered, key focus areas and challenges. ‘We are where our customers want us to be,’ he says. Visit the VBA website, www.vodacombusinessafrica.com, to find out more. Published in Vodacom Now Email TechFinancials.co.za at [email protected]

By Gugu Lourie Gumtree, online classified firm, has teamed-up with Africa’s largest bank by assets Standard Bank to provide a new secured online payment solution  for its customers. The eBay owned classifieds provider said on Wednesday that it has added Shepherd, a Standard Bank-powered escrow service,  to make its a peer to peer (P2P) trading platform  safe. The P2P trading platfom allows buyers and sellers to do a transaction online without meeting face-to-face. The firm added that this is part of its continued plan to become the most trusted operator in the online P2P trade market. Shepherd operates as a third party that facilitates  transactions on behalf…

By Staff Writer Trade union Solidarity today welcomed Telkom’s decision to abolish its Section 189 restructuring process in its entirety. However, the trade union cautions that, with its offering of voluntary severance packages, Telkom is misleading workers. Marius Croucamp, spokesman at Solidarity, said Solidarity was of the opinion that many workers mistakenly consider a voluntary severance package as an attractive alternative while it is not necessarily the best option in the long run. “A voluntary severance package merely presents a temporary solution for those who are seeking other work. Given the turbulent labour market, finding a job again is not…

The company is also planning a digital campus for bloggers and marketing-tech businesses Webfluential has hired a former Apple executive to beef up its rapid expansion in the African and European markets. The firm also plans to have a “Digital Campus” in its new office in Sandton with an aim to invite bloggers and marketing-tech businesses to collaborate with the Webfluential team. It said new resources are actively being sought to address the needs of account management, campaign execution, influencer data analytics, programming and development. Webfluential is a subscription-based online platform that connects brands with consumers through credible and most…

State-owned pension fund Public Investment Corporation (PIC) will sell 1.7% stake in South Africa’s largest mobile phone operator by subscribers Vodacom Group, a deal that could be worth more than R3.5 billion. The PIC has appointed Deutsche Bank AG, London Branch as sole bookrunner to sell 25 million ordinary shares in Vodacom Group, representing about 1.7% of the company’s issued share capital, the PIC said in a JSE filing on Tuesday. Vodacom shares closed at R139 on Monday and selling 25 million shares at yesterday’s closing price will translate to R3,48 billion. “This placement is in relation to a hedging activity in…

Telkom, which has decided to abide by the court order to stop force retrenchments, is looking at other measures to contain costs which include a wage freeze across the board, Voluntary severance packages (VSPs) and voluntary early retirement packages (VERPs). Sipho Maseko, Telkom CEO said on Monday the company was also Investigating flexible working hours (flexi-time), potential outsourcing options, reduced working hours in the form of a shorter work week and new methodologies to improve productivity. Telkom was planning to retrench up to 4 400 employees while a further 3 400 may be transferred to other companies before the forced retrenchments was…

By Gugu Lourie Mteto Nyati, currently the MTN Group Chief Enterprise Officer since October last year, was named on Monday as MTN SA CEO, effective 13 July 2015. He replaced Ahmad Farroukh, who resigned earlier this month. Nyati is a seasoned ICT executive and business leader, who joined MTN from Microsoft SA. “He brings extensive knowledge of the local ICT market, and is passionate about people and customer service. We believe the appointment of a leader of Nyati’s calibre and competencies will greatly enhance our efforts to strengthen the confidence of our customers and reinvigorate our people,” says Sifiso Dabengwa, MTN Group…

By Staff Writer Vox Telecom has launched a first to market uncapped voice package, that aims to keep South Africa talking.  Available to customers in suburbs where Vox Telecom is rolling out fibre-to-the-home, Uncapped Voice enables unlimited calls to mobile, national and local fixed line and select international destinations. “By providing customers with this service, we are hoping to continue to make keeping in touch as cost effective, and simple as possible,” says Natalie van der Merwe, senior product manager for Voice Solutions at Vox Telecom. The Vox Telecom Uncapped Voice package is currently only available as an add-on service,…

“A stylish local phone that comes with free high-end accessories, with beautifully crafted body in striking rose gold exterior that’s nearly similar to a Samsung Galaxy S6 or even an iPhone” By Gugu Lourie The Ghost – a mid-tier local smartphone – may as well be the next big thing for Mzansi and consumers in the rest of Africa. It offers users an opportunity to ditch their 2G feature phones and migrate into the world of smart devices. While ultra-high-end smartphones are out of reach for millions of African consumers, the Ghost is affordable. It is exclusively available on contract through mobile phone…

By Ujuh The South African government is sticking to its guns in maintaining that online gambling is an undesirable socioeconomic feature which must be prohibited but seems prepared to listen to the other sides of the story. This is apparent from plans to host a seminar on online gambling under the theme: Online Gambling in South Africa: What is at Stake? Hosted by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in partnership with the National Gambling Board, the seminar comes amidst the publication of the Draft Gambling Policy Review Document for public comment. The key proposal in the draft review…