Author: Gugu Lourie

By Sunil Maharaj & Simon Barnes Broadband has the potential to be an enabler for reducing poverty, improving education, promoting gender equality, improving health services, ensuring environmental sustainability and providing a platform for global partnerships for development. By some estimates, a 10% increase in broadband penetration in low- and middle-income countries can result in a 1.38% increase in economic growth. Africa has a long way to go before it can reap any broadband dividend. In 2014, only 19% of Africa used the internet compared to the world average of 40.4%, and Europe’s 74.8%. Nor is the rate of broadband penetration growing at…

By Staff Writer The latest audio music parody is doing the rounds on social media and some have classified it as another hit for our President Jacob Zuma. “Dawg when the Pres is gone and Nkandla remains, this hit will be remix by other dawgs,” said Gwyza. Dika said: “The Pres is already listening to it and giggling to it. He hehe he.” The name and source of the musical parody is not known. https://soundcloud.com/techfinancials-co-za/nkandlanewmusicparody-1 Business Day editor Songezo Zibi, recently argued: “The Nkandla scandal is the tipping point at which SA must decide whether it is a real…

By Staff Writer Samsung Electronics South Africa is opening a new brand store at the Menlyn Park Shopping Centre in Tshwane on 12 June 2015. In collaboration with retail partner, New World, the store will serve to enhance shopper experiences at the recently revamped complex. Michelle Potgieter, Director of Corporate Marketing and Communications at Samsung Electronics South Africa, says: “Brand Stores inspire our consumers by providing direct access to our newest, cutting-edge technologies, enabling them to experience the devices first hand and gain further insight into the products from our team of knowledgeable and professional sales people and on site…

South African-based fleet management Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) provider, Mix Telematics, continues to rely on its global reach to remain competitive in a tough market. The company – which in August 2013 listed on the New York Stock Exchange – delivered solid revenue growth, strong profitability and cash flow in the financial year 2015. Mix Telematics grew its subscription revenue 17% to R998m in the year 2015, with the number of vehicles covered up 14% to 512 000. The company also ended the fiscal year with a bigger cash pile of R945m up fromR876m in the previous year. Mix Telematics develops its…

By Staff Writer Trade Union Solidarity announced on Wednesday afternoon that it has decided to establish a crisis task team to tackle the major retrenchments at Telkom, which is undergoing massive restructuring. The task team will include top lawyers of the trade union as well as researchers, counsellors and financial advisors. Solidarity said it will also launch a four-point plan to form the basis of its fight with Telkom. Telkom’s plans include reducing its workforce by 4 400 through Voluntary Severance Packages and Voluntary Early Retirement Packages. Earlier this year, 724 employees have already accepted packages. If this new target is…

Analytics (or rather deriving insights from data) is an emerging field in South Africa. Due to differing strategic views, lack of infrastructure, or lack of skilled resources, few companies have fully capitalised on the information available in their local markets, much less so in subsidiary markets. By Yudhvir Seetharam, head of analytics at FNB Business Given both the emergence of the field, the first stab at getting analytics to grow would be to simultaneously ensure infrastructure is in place and hiring/retaining the skilled professional. Secondly, businesses need to start thinking with numbers in mind – ensuring that reasoning, figures and insights…

As part of its turnaround plan Telkom is planning to retrench close to 7 800 employees within two months, according to Solidarity Union. Telkom’s net revenue rose 3.1% to R26 billion and net debt slashed 92,8% to R151 million in the year to end-March 2015, paving the way for it to reward its shareholders with a dividend and a special divided totaling 245 cents per share There are hurdles along the way as the firm deals with its cost cutting exercise, which involves staff retrenchments and outsourcing, plus intense competition in the market. Trade union Solidarity questioned the scale of…

By Patrizio Piraino Countries with a more unequal distribution of income tend to have less economic mobility from one generation to the next. This relationship is often referred to as the “Great Gatsby Curve”. Generational mobility refers to the extent to which individuals have the opportunity to succeed economically regardless of the background of their parents. There is growing global evidence on the nature of this relationship as well as on unequal access to opportunities in general. This has helped shine more light on the continued persistence of inequality. Comparisons between countries point to a number of factors that result in…

By Staff Writer MTN has postponed its 21 Days of Y’ello Care Half-Marathon planned for Saturday in Johannesburg due to security risks posed by the fading strike action. A new race date will be communicated in due course. Whereas MTN is delighted that the vast majority of the striking employees have returned to work, the company will leave nothing to chance owing to the violent nature of the industrial action over the past three weeks. “MTN has the best interests of its stakeholders and the participants at heart and will not put their lives at risk. The current atmosphere is…

Cell C on Tuesday announced it has concluded the renegotiation of its roaming agreement with Vodacom, which includes access to 3G services on the Vodacom network. By Staff Writer “This agreement allows Cell C to provide a seamless experience to our customers, even those in outlying areas where we have limited coverage. Cell C customers in those areas will now also have access to Internet technologies on Vodacom’s 3G network,” says Cell C CEO Jose Dos Santos. Alongside the investment in its own network, Cell C is using this agreement to provide the best possible experience for its customers and gives…