Author: Gugu Lourie
With the Financial Intelligence Centre Act (FICA) Amendment Bill due to be passed in the next couple of months, continuing to invest in measures to ensure compliance as an Accountable Institution (AI) remains a top priority in the financial sector. By Mark Chirnside, CEO at ThisIsMe In broad terms, FICA provides for the establishment of a regulatory body and introduces mechanisms aimed at combatting money laundering and terrorism funding, mandating compliance by institutions that might otherwise be exploited for money laundering purposes. This has seen a number of local banks and many other financial institutions actively putting compliance strategies in place…
Local surgeon Dr. Neal Goldstein in partnership with a global software company, EPI-USE, has developed and launched a web and mobile app that allows patients to safely capture and share their personal information electronically with medical practitioners and any other healthcare professionals. LogBox, which is a free mobile and web-based application, saves patients the time previously wasted in repeatedly filling in or updating paper forms at each medical practice they visit. The app is a step towards digitising South African medical practices. Patients’ electronic information is captured once and then shared multiple times in the future with other medical…
Ivan Epstein, president of Sage International has been appointed to the judging panel for the 16th EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards 2016. Epstein, the winner of the 1999/2000 Ernst & Young (EY) South African Entrepreneur Of The Year award will be part of a panel that will decide on the winner, to be announced in Monte Carlo at a gala award ceremony on the evening of Saturday, 11 June. Says Epstein: “Like many of the businesses we serve, we started from humble beginnings, developing into a successful international business. I know about the human sacrifice and hard work it…
When most people think or speak about internet freedom, they are often concerned with the right, for example, to say what you want online without censorship and without being subject to the chilling effects of surveillance. By Indra de Lanerolle These kind of freedoms are sometimes called “negative freedoms” or “freedoms from…”. They address the right not to be interfered with or obstructed in living your life. But there are also “positive freedoms” — “freedoms to…” Some constitutions – notably the US Constitution – only protect negative rights. But South Africa’s includes both negative and positive rights. Positive rights include, for…
Although it’s problematic to generalise about a large, diverse place it’s fair to say that Africa is fast emerging as a consumer continent. It is populated by “Afropolitans”, who are sometimes also referred to as Pan-Africanists. These are young, urban, well educated people. They are willing to spend money on luxury goods. By Michael Adeyeye Oshin However, these people are a relatively small middle class in a sea of poverty. They are unlikely to drive a classical “trickle down” improvement to Africa’s general economic picture. It’s also worth noting that not much of what these young consumers covet is actually being…
South African technology start-up Snapt has joined forces with Convergence Partners, which is owned by ICT industry veteran Andile Ngcaba. Convergence Partners will invest $1 million (R15 million) growth capital into Snapt. By Staff Writer Snapt is a global provider of high-end virtualized and cloud-based load balancing, web acceleration and security software. It has been disrupting the market since its launch in 2012 and has achieved astonishing year-on-year growth of 400% in both 2014 and 2015. Snapt has also recently opened its first US offices in Atlanta. As part of its expansion in the US, Snapt aims to capture a 1…
Samsung Electronics has announced the opening of its flagship Brand Store at the Mall of Africa in Waterfall City, Midrand. By Staff Writer This flagship store functions as a premium outlet for the company to deliver the latest Samsung mobile products, audio-visual solutions and high-tech home appliances, all in a single location. Michelle Potgieter, director: corporate marketing and communications at Samsung Electronics South Africa, expects that consumers will know they are in for a unique treat when they see the giant tablet wall in the store window. Comprised of 28 tablets; the screens are integrated in such a way as to…
In its drive to attract new talent to be part of its transforming business, South Africa’s Telkom recently launched a campaign that used social media posts, Google ads, and email marketing to attract potential hires. By Staff Writer The telco has recently hired eight interns through an online guerrilla marketing campaign that seeks to reward new ways of approaching business challenges. The campaign generated over 38 000 hits in a two-month period. “We recognise that our industry – and our company – is in the midst of a profound transformation. We wanted new perspectives and to reward unconventional thinking, so we…
ICANN-accredited registrar Domains.co.za is marking the second anniversary of the .xyz top level domain (gTLD) by dropping all costs on .xyz domain name registration on 01 and 02 June 2016. There is a limit of (5) five .xyz domains per customer. In addition, from 03 to 30 June, the .xyz domain name registration fee will be set at R10 only. Any client purchasing a website hosting or Site Builder account from Domains.co.za can receive a free .xyz domain with their package. Qualified users can also register an .xyz domain for free from Bluehost. “With increasing competition making it nearly impossible…
To mark the 30th anniversary of this automotive icon this summer, BMW M is launching the exclusive special edition of the BMW M3 “30 Years M3”, which is limited to 500 cars worldwide and 30 in South Africa. With the launch of the first generation of the BMW M3 in 1986, the BMW M GmbH, at that time operating under the name BMW Motorsport GmbH, revolutionized the sporty mid-range segment. The first BMW M3 set the standard by which other manufacturers were measured. Meanwhile, BMW M has continuously refined its automotive icon across five model generations. And over all these…
South African corporates and consumers are abandoning copper technology at the rate of some 15 000 lines every month. This is according to independent telecoms provider, OTEL Telecoms, quoting ICASA (Independent Communications Regulatory Authority of SA) figures from the latter’s most recent State of the South African ICT Sector Report. The report indicates that 14 571 geographic number ports have taken place monthly during the period from October 2014 to Oct 2015. The Number Portability Company, for its part, says 718 134 geographic numbers were ported from April 2010 to April 2016. OTEL says the numbers apply to geographic fixed…
Computers began reaching the business world during the 1980s. Companies used them to automate many routine manual tasks. This led to what economist Robert Solow dubbed the Productivity Paradox. In 1987, he famously quipped: “You can see the computer age everywhere but in the productivity statistics.” By Craig Blewett The problem Solow had identified was that while computers could automate manual processes, real productivity gains would only be experienced when technology was actively used to reinvent business processes. The best businesses soon realised that computers were not just a tool to improve efficiencies but to redesign business processes. This sort of…
We’re locked-into a never ceasing journey – one where technology plays an increasingly central role in our lives. By Michael Frans, T-Systems South Africa’s head: business development: business operations automotive Already, the humble phone can now monitor our blood pressure, connect us to the office, make payments at checkouts, power up in 30 seconds, hail taxis, unlock doors, stream entertainment from around the world, and regulate the temperature in our houses. The list goes on… But all of this is just the prelude to a thrilling story that will unfold over the coming years. Energised by high-speed connectivity, smart sensors, and…
The vehicle tracking company isn’t slowing down despite tough trading conditions. Cartrack racked up 72 000 new customers in the year to end February 2016, and the vehicle tracking firm foresee excellent potential for growth in the USA and will consider suitable acquisitions on merit. By Gugu Lourie Cartrack provides services related to stolen vehicle recovery, fleet management and insurance telematics through Software as a Service (SaaS). The firm informed investors on Tuesday that its global active subscribers rose by 17% or some 72 000 units to 502 849 units in the year to end-February 2016. The South African-based firm…
I recently had the honour of speaking to Executive MBA students from the University of Columbia when they visited Cape Town for a summer school. I shared with them some of the key lessons I learnt during my first couple of years of running a start-up business. By Ivan Epstein, President for Sage International (Africa, Australia, Middle East, and Asia) and Chairman of Sage Foundation I would like to share my learnings with entrepreneurs looking for some guidance. Data doesn’t tell you everything Most successful entrepreneurs trust their gut and instinct as much as they trust formal market research. Creating a…
South Africa’s Telkom is ramping up efforts to migrate customers to wireless and fibre technologies to actively tackle cable theft syndicates. This comes as the modus operandi of cable thieves becomes more sophisticated , amounting to over 6000 incidents of theft across Telkom’s copper network in the past year. “Copper theft has become a more sophisticated crime over the past few years. These criminals now target our manholes armed with customised heavy duty vehicles, allowing them to hitch the cable to the vehicle and drive out kilometres of cable, cutting off thousands of customers, in a single incident,” explains Telkom’s…
Ghana’s MedRX has won the first ever MTN Entrepreneurship Challenge powered by Jumia. The Pan-African competition, which launched on 15 February 2016, came down to the wire on Friday, 27 May 2016 at the MTN Entrepreneurship Festival held at Philippi Village in Cape Town. The three finalists from Nigeria, Ghana and Tanzania faced a panel of experienced business leaders comprising Jérémy Hodara, co-CEO Africa Internet Group, Professor Walter Baets, Director of the University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business and Herman Singh, MTN Group Chief Digital Officer, as they battled it out for the US $25 000 cash prize to…
MTN, Africa’s largest mobile phone operator by subscribers, may create another empowerment scheme. By Gugu Lourie MTN Zakhele, the Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) scheme of MTN, will be maturing in November 2016. “MTN continues to evaluate alternatives for a new Black Economic Empowerment(BEE) share scheme that may come into effect on the expiry of the MTN Zakhele share scheme in November 2016,” MTN Zakhele informed investors on Monday on the JSE. “As part of this new scheme, it is possible, although not yet certain, that holders of MTN Zakhele ordinary shares at the time will be granted the opportunity of…
MTN South Africa will sell tailor-made contracts, which it expects to save customers money and giving them more control, according to a media report. The City Press newspaper reported today that the tailor-made customised plan will be known as Shifta. The mobile phone operator was also developing customised prepaid contracts, which will be known as It’s On, and which would require customers to install an app on their phones. Larry Annetts,MTN SA chief consumer officer, told the newspaper that the key driver behind tailor-made contracts was to save marketing costs – money would be saved because MTN would need to…
Being alone has many benefits. It grants freedom in thought and action. It boosts creativity. It offers a terrain for the imagination to roam. Solitude also enriches our connections with others by providing perspective, which enhances intimacy and fosters empathy. By Scott Campbell To be sure, solitude is not always experienced positively. At times, and for certain people, it can lead to feelings of loneliness and isolation. In that sense, solitude is a two-sided coin, as is the case with other necessities in life, like food. As with food, we can benefit from being mindful of the quantity and quality of…
PayPal is the latest company to join a long list to ditch support for the “fringe” phone operating systems: Microsoft’s Windows Phone, BlackBerry and Amazon’s Fire OS. This decision comes on the heels of Microsoft’s announcement of getting rid of a further 1,850 jobs, most of them from what remains of the staff that came to Microsoft from its acquisition of Nokia. By David Glance Microsoft’s purchase of Nokia wasn’t simply a very bad business decision from a company that is fighting its slow slide to irrelevance, the side-effect of this singularly bad business idea, was to put nearly 25,000 people…
ShowMax is getting ready to update its series and movies catalog once again. Africa’s largest collection of video entertainment keeps getting bigger with new shows added every week. From Hollywood heavy hitters to international exclusives and local favourites. Here’s what’s coming up in June. NEW SERIES Kingdom (New episodes) Criminal Minds S1 – S9 The Great Train Robbery S1 Gangland Undercover S1 Unreal S1 The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe (Mini-series) And Then There Were None S1 Mad Men S7 Hawaii Five-O Pretty Little Liars S5 NEW MOVIES You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger (2010) Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)…
Submissions for the MTN Business SA App of the Year Awards 2016, the biggest and most prestigious app development awards, are now open. The App of the Year Awards is a springboard for creative developers and their original solutions. Previous winners of the awards have gone on to launch their apps internationally, been acquired by blue chip corporates, or become well-known and loved South African digital products in their own right. Previous winners and categories winners include SnapScan, Wumdrop, FNB Banking, Money4Jam, Zapper, Vula Mobile, and PriceCheck. MTN Business SA Chief Enterprise Business Officer, Alpheus Mangale says: “We are proud…
Absa has launched ChatBanking, the first service in Africa which allows you to conduct your day-to-day banking from your Twitter account, without interrupting your session on the social media website. The secure, private and convenient service was launched on Twitter on Thursday and will eventually be rolled out to other social media platforms. Changes in customer behaviour require that banking has to be available anytime, anywhere, and accessible through multiple channels. In addition, social media has transformed the traditional relationship between business and customers in the same way as it has changed how individuals interact with one another. “The launch…
MTN Business, in partnership with online accounting tool SMEasy, on Thursday announced the launch of an agile, fit for purpose business management and easy accounting solution for small business owners in Kenya – with other markets to follow. MTN Business EasyAccounting gives entrepreneurs with no accounting knowledge or training, the ability to perform crucial finance and related business tasks. The cloud-based solution features essential capabilities such as quoting and invoicing, complete money management, customer communication, simple reporting and an accountant dashboard. MTN Business EasyAccounting also includes an easy to use payroll facility which generates payslips for employees. “The small business…