Author: Gugu Lourie
SABC Chief Operating Officer Hlaudi Motsoeneng’s lawyer, Zola Majavu,told journalists that the corporation knew his client did not have a matric certificate when he was first hired in 1995. By Lizeka Tandwa, News24 Majavu, speaking at Motsoeneng’s disciplinary hearing in Sandton on Monday, said he had witnesses who could prove that his client disclosed to the SABC that he did not have a matric certificate. He said the man who employed Motsoeneng as a journalist in 1995 knew that he did not have matric. “I have never doubted my client’s innocence. I have defended many people and this is the one that I…
Telkom’s 11 contestants are making final preparations today before they attempt to beat the clock – and each other – to set a new record, certified by Guinness World Records, for the longest concurrent time spent watching movies. The current record stands at 120 hours 23 minutes, and the 11 contestants will attempt to spend over 122 hours watching movies delivered via Telkom’s Boltspeed fibre. The Telkom Unlimited Movie Marathon takes place at the Sheds in downtown Johannesburg. Visitors to the event will be able to watch movies for as long as they want, for only R30 a day.…
Sunil Joshi, the chief executive officer of fixed-line telecommunications company Neotel, has resigned. By Gareth van Zyl, NewsAgency His resignation comes after an investigation by the board of the company cleared him of bribery, Neotel said on Monday. Both Joshi and the company’s chief financial officer Steven Whiley were placed on special leave earlier this year amid an investigation into alleged bribery. Neotel stands accused of making illicit payments of R91m in fees to a ‘letterbox company’ company called ‘Homix’, according to a report from newspaper The Mail & Guardian earlier this year. Neotel is accused of making these payments to…
You’re sitting at home minding your own business when you get a call from your credit card’s fraud detection unit asking if you’ve just made a purchase at a department store in your city. It wasn’t you who bought expensive electronics using your credit card – in fact, it’s been in your pocket all afternoon. So how did the bank know to flag this single purchase as most likely fraudulent? By Jungwoo Ryoo Credit card companies have a vested interest in identifying financial transactions that are illegitimate and criminal in nature. The stakes are high. According to the Federal Reserve…
The Supreme Court of Appeal’s ruling on Oscar Pistorius was the top story on local social media the past week, media monitoring company ROi Africa said on Sunday. By Jenna Etheridge, NewsAgency Almost 70% of social media activity was dedicated to the ruling handed down in Bloemfontein on Thursday, which found Pistorius guilty of murder. Making up less than a tenth of that was activity remembering late president Nelson Mandela. He died on December 5 two years ago at the age of 95, after suffering from a prolonged respiratory infection. World Aids day, the former Paralympian and terrorism attacks all received…
A new Broadcasting Amendment Bill that will essentially turn the SABC into a state-controlled broadcaster, was bad news for South African democracy. By Thulani Gqirana, NewsAgency So believed Democratic Alliance MP and spokesperson Phumzile Van Damme, who said the bill, which was tabled by communications minister Faith Muthambi on Friday, must be viewed as unconstitutional. The Sunday Times reported that the minister introduced legislation that would give her the final say on who was appointed to the broadcaster’s board. The bill seeked to remove Parliament’s role in the selection of the SABC’s non-executive board members. “The nine non-executive members of the…
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…
The ongoing kerfuffle between MTN, Africa’s largest mobile phone operator, and the Nigerian authorities took another twist on Friday. In a surprise announcement, MTN informed investors that the Nigerian authorities have adjusted the fine upwards again to $3.9 billion (R56 billion) from $3.4 billion (R48.9 billion). By Gugu Lourie On Thursday, MTN announced that the Nigerian government has reduced the fine imposed on its Nigerian operation to $3.4 billion from $5.2 billion. The fine relates to the late disconnecting of 5.1 million MTN Nigerian subscribers in August and September 2015. The South African-based mobile phone operator said it has…
The new cybercrimes bill is flawed, too broad and brings the country one step closer to the securitisation of the internet, the Right2Know Campaign (R2K) has said. By Thulani Gqirana, NewsAgency It was basically the secrecy bill of the internet as it stood now and handed the keys of the internet to the state security ministry, R2K said. Public comments on the draft cybercrimes and cybersecurity bill, which was gazetted earlier this year by the justice department, closed on Monday November 30 and, so far, it has not been well received. The bill seeks to create offences and impose penalties on…
Thousands of revellers descending on Durban for the Rage Festival have fuelled simmering tensions between Uber taxi drivers and minibus taxis contracted by the organisers. By Jeff Wicks, NewsAgency A video purportedly showing ‘Rage Rides’ taxi drivers assaulting an Uber driver, one of many points of contestation between the two, has surfaced. The video is understood to have been shot at the weekend on Durban’s Stamford Hill Road. The minibus taxis have been contracted by the festival to transport partygoers between events, and work on a token system. Festival spokesperson, Darren Sandras, said that they were aware of escalating tensions, and had…
South African Roads Agency (Sanral) general manager: communications Vusi Mona launched a stinging attack on the Opposition to Urban Tolling Alliance (Outa) on the second anniversary of the controversial e-toll system. By Eugenie du Preez, NewsAgency Outa listed five reasons why Gauteng’s e-toll system has, in its opinion, been a failure, and said the scheme was “doomed from the outset”. In an emailed statement to Fin24 on Wednesday, Mona said he wished to “debunk some of Outa’s numbers”. The anti-tolls body, said Mona, has “no respect for the pronouncements of the judiciary or for our democracy”. This is because six courts…
Tapping e-commerce, ramping up banking services and regaining trust are key reasons why banker Mark Barnes was hired as the South African Post Office (Sapo) CEO. By Gareth van Zyl, NewsAgency. This is according to the minister of telecommunications and postal services Siyabonga Cwele in an interview with Fin24 along the sidelines of a Telkom roundtable discussion in Sandton on Thursday. Barnes, who remains involved at investing and trading solutions company Purple Group, was previously an investment banker at Standard Corporate and Merchant Bank (SCMB). He was also former head of private equity firm Brait. Last month, Cabinet approved Barnes’ appointment as…
On the second anniversary of the launch of e-tolls, a road tax for users of Gauteng freeways, the Opposition to Urban Tolling Alliance (Outa) looks back at a system it says “was doomed from the outset”. By Eugenie du Preez, NewsAgency Gauteng’s e-toll scheme was launched exactly two years ago, on December 3 2013. This, said Outa, took place “despite overwhelming public dissension and warnings that it would not be an effective ‘user-pays’ mechanism to service the Gauteng freeway upgrade bonds”. The anti-tolls body said its research studied international examples of both failed and successful electronic tolling schemes, and identified eight…
Truecaller announced on Thursday that its community has reported over 800, 000 spam calls in South Africa, with a total of 50 000 spam and unwanted calls detected every day across the country. By Staff Writer Truecaller’s data highlights an issue that is becoming an increasing cause for concern in South Africa as spammers become more adept at harassing and taking advantage of smartphone users in South Africa. More than 1.4 million South Africans use Truecaller from among the global Truecaller community of over 200 million. The app enables users to block unwanted and spam calls they have reported…
Hackers have doubled the number of cyber attacks against South Africans as the expansion of internet access brings more people online. By Duncan Alfreds, NewsAgency This is according to cyber security firm Kaspersky Lab which has been tracking the number of attacks through its antivirus network. “These statistics state that the number of attacks on South Africa increased from 25 million in all 2014 to 81.6 million in 2015, until mid-November,” Mohammad Amin Hasbini, senior security researcher of the Global Research and Analysis team at Kaspersky Lab, told Fin24. He said that the increase could be attributed to increasing numbers of…
Struggling technology firm Altron continues to clean up its balance sheet and on Thursday announced that it is in a process to sell its cable manufacturer business to Shanghai-listed Hengtong. By Gugu Lourie Altron said its subsidiary Powertech has entered into a binding heads of agreement with Hengtong to sell Aberdare Group. As part of the transaction, Powertech will dispose of 75% of its shareholding in Aberdare Cables and Aberdare International will dispose of 100% of its shareholding in Aberdare Europe to Hengtong. Alcon Marepha, CBI Electric Aberdare ATC Telecom Cables and Aberdare Cables Asia are excluded from the deal.…