Author: Gugu Lourie
BMW South Africa plans to create more jobs to expand its IT operations – the SAP Shared Services Centre and IT Operations Centre which serve the global BMW Group. By Staff Writer The German car manufacturer plans to expand its IT operations in South Africa to 600 jobs by 2017. The manufacturer said an impressive track record of over 130 viable projects, implemented globally, adds to the growing importance of BMW Group IT in the quest to shape the mobility of the future. South African software engineers are unique in the world The South African SAP Shared Services Centre and…
In celebration of his spectacular performance at the 2016 Rio Olympics, T-Systems today present’s athletics superstar Wayde van Niekerk with a R1 million gift. By Staff Writer “It’s our gesture of thanks, honouring Wayde for the way he’s inspired millions of South Africans to believe in their own dreams and chase after success,” notes Mpumi Nhlapo, Head of T-Systems South Africa’s Marketing, Communications, IT Portfolio and Solution Sales. Wayde powered his way into South African hearts, and into the history books, with the event’s highlight moment. Running in the most difficult lane in the 400 metres final, he won Gold…
MTN Group and MMI Holdings today announced the launch of a micro insurance joint venture, branded aYo. By Staff Writer The joint venture will benefit from the scale, combined expertise and market access of both companies, to provide a strong basis to compete in a changing mobile financial services industry. Insurance penetration is low in many countries across Africa, and utilising the resources and capabilities that each of MMI Holdings and MTN provide, aYo will be able to improve this to offer relevant, accessible and easy to use insurance solutions to consumers. Commenting on the partnership, Herman Singh, Group Chief…
People have long dreamed of being smarter, stronger, faster. But now it seems that cutting edge technologies are out there, or in development, that might enable us truly to enhance our cognitive and physical capabilities. At the Paralympics, sprinters will be bounding down the tracks on running blades. Students are taking “smart drugs” and using cognitive enhancement devices in order to achieve better academic performance. By Marcelo de Araujo These recent advances in science and technology have led to much discussion on the ethics of human enhancement, giving the impression that this is an era-defining moment, one in which the very…
It has been the most deadly summer for wingsuit flying to date. But what makes some people want to base jump off a cliff, binge drink to oblivion or hitchhike with strangers while others don’t even enjoy a rollercoaster ride? Is there such a thing as scaredy-cat gene or a daredevil brain structure? Or is our level of attraction to danger down to how protective our parents were? By Valerie Voon Whether our weakness is extreme sports, speeding, drugs or other dangerous behaviours, it is typically a mix of risk and novelty that draw us in. What psychologists call “novelty seeking”…
Gautrain passengers can now download free online books for the next 12 months. By News Agency The Gautrain Management Agency (GMA) has partnered with Bookboon to make professional and business e-books available to Gautrain passengers. MEC for Roads and Transport Ismail Vadi said passengers will be able to download free online books from the Bookboon website in the field of engineering, IT, marketing, finance and entrepreneurship. “Gautrain is delighted about the Bridging the Gap initiative, as we are aware that education in South Africa is expensive, especially the cost of books,” MEC Vadi said. The books will be available to…
Vodacom announced on Tuesday that it has successfully extended its 4G coverage along most Gautrain routes to include 4G+ in the underground tunnels. By Staff Writer This means that 4G and 4G+ coverage is immediately available on route to Gautrain’s Rosebank, Sandton, Marlboro and Midrand stations with speeds of in excess of 100Mb/s achieved in deep underground environments. Vodacom said the next phase of the project will be to enhance coverage along the track between Marlboro and OR Tambo International Airport as well as between Marlboro and Pretoria to ensure a seamless and uninterrupted experience on all Gautrain routes. “This…
Blockchain is being spoken of reverently – and irreverently – by business pundits, and backed by media and industry leaders as a potential cure for all financial threats/hurdles across the globe. By Mary Ann Francis, executive business advisor and practice partner at Wipro A blockchain has been promoted extensively as the latest ‘must-have’ technology for financial and related institutions. However, because of its historical connection to the cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, it has been sceptically scrutinised for use in business transactions due to the assumption that they are one and the same. The good news, however, is that the needed separation of the…
Daimler’s chairman of the board of directors, Dieter Zetsche, has revealed that Mercedes-Benz wants to create cars that act as personal assistants and wellbeing monitors, he told Autocar on Monday. By Staff Writer Speaking at the IFA consumer electronics show in Berlin, the chairman of Daimler’s board of directors explained that cars will one day carry out chores and tasks humans don’t enjoy, in a bid to improve their quality of life and reduce stress. Zetsche told Autocar that cars will then begin to work as their owner’s assistant, carrying out chores like taking the kids to school and picking up other…
With the continued harassment of South Africa’s Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan, it has become patently clear that no institution will be spared in the wave of state capture that is sweeping through the country. By Jannie Rossouw The finance ministry has been at the centre of this wave for nearly a year. The latest move against Gordhan comes against a backdrop of efforts to wrest control of this particular portfolio. The most spectacular was President Jacob Zuma’s decision in December 2015 to fire then Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene and replace him with someone more agreeable to his plans. That plan…
South Africa’s third biggest mobile phone operator Cell C said full service to customers has been restored to Johannesburg south customers who were affected by voice calls and SMS problems caused by hardware failure. In a media release issued this afternoon, Cell said a problem caused by a hardware failure in one of its data centres affecting voice and SMS for some customers based in Johannesburg South, the East Rand and the Midrand areas was resolved just after 2pm. “Full service to customers is restored. We thank our customers for their patience while our engineers worked on the problem and we…
The Foschini Group (TFG) have developed Super Stan, a fun interactive online 8bit game ahead of the TFG Shop Hop – an exclusive online super sale day. By Staff Writer Super Stan, inspired by the Nintendo megahit Super Mario Bros, was created to educate customers around the breadth and depth of the TFG eMall, in the run up to its Shop Hop sale day, which will showcase the many stores and products. The aim of the game is to navigate Stan on a mission to grab as much merchandise from as many stores as he can. Evil shopping trollleys have…
Speech delivered by Telecommunications and Postal Services Minister, Siyabonga Cwele at the 2016 Southern African Telecommunications Networks and Applications Conference (SATNAC) in George, Western Cape on 5 September 2016. It is a great pleasure to be meeting all of you in what may be called our annual spring gathering, SATNAC. This conference has become an unrivalled platform for knowledge output, peer learning and networking for people in the Information and Communication Technologies sector. We therefore look forward to the fresh ideas that you are bringing. The theme for this year, “Broadband Evolution – Unlocking the ‘Internet of Things’ ” offers…
We have received numerous calls from clients on MTN Zakhele Futhi. We are including some key points herein to assist you as our client. By Inkunzi Wealth Group The Zakhele Futhi scheme will take the form of a public offering. African, Coloured, and Indian South Africa citizens by birth or descent will be invited to subscribe for and own shares in Zakhele Futhi. There will be a verification process to ensure interested parties are qualifying black participants. Minimum investment amount of R2,000 required. New investors locked in for three years before they can trade the shares. After three years, investors…
More than 20 percent of all Americans have at least one tattoo, and for millennials that number jumps to almost 40 percent. By Shontavia Johnson What could be more intimately a part of you than a work of body art permanently inked into your skin? You probably assume that the tattoo on your body belongs to you. But, in actuality, somebody else might own your tattoo. Recent lawsuits and events have shown that tattoo artists and companies can have intellectual property rights in tattoos worn by others, including both copyright and trademark rights. Tattoo-related lawsuits are not uncommon. Just this year,…
The Labour Court today gave an order that fourteen Communication Workers Union (CWU) members, including their president, must on the return date, in November 2016, appear in court to show cause why it should not hold them to be in contempt for contravening the interdict secured by Telkom on 15 August 2016. The interdict prohibits the CWU and its members from blockading Telkom entrances and exits and restrained CWU from interfering with Telkom’s operations. Telkom employees along with contractors, customers, suppliers, and shoppers, this week, in various malls, have been subjected to threats and intimidation by the strikers. This includes…
The Department of Trade and Industry (dti) has issued a warning of a scam that is targeting liquor licence holders. By News Agency “The National Liquor Authority (NLA) of the dti has received a number of enquiries relating to suspicious WhatsApp and SMS messages, in which both national and provincial licence holders are requested to deposit certain monies for the renewal of their liquor licences,” said the dti in a statement on Thursday. The messages are sent from this number: 082007229288038. The message reads: Payment reminder: Liquor License admin fee is outstanding with R250.00 for the year 2016. Payment is…
HP today announced the appointment of David Rozzio as the new managing director of HP in South Africa. By Staff Writer Rozzio brings a wealth of industry experience that he has accumulated during his 15 years at HP across different business units and segments. Most recently he was director, Channel and SMB, for HP’s Printing and Personal Systems business in the Middle East, Mediterranean and Africa (MEMA). “I look forward to working with our customers and partners to help reinvent computing and printing for organisations of all sizes,” said Rozzio. Rozzio has held key roles since joining HP in 2001…
JustLearn.me is a brand new live streaming online platform that allows students and tutors to interact with one another from the comfort and safety of their own homes or preferred environments. By Staff Writer This ground-breaking initiative, a first of its kind in South Africa, pushes the boundaries of education by making access to learning easy, safe and convenient for students all across the country. Uviwe Faku, a young black entrepreneur and accounting student at the University of Cape Town, is the founder of JustLearn.me. “It is no secret that South Africa is currently facing a huge education crisis, through…
Imagine driving a car, using a heads-up display projection on the windshield to navigate through an unfamiliar city. This is augmented reality (AR); the information is used to not only guide you along a route, but also to alert you to salient information in your surroundings, such as cyclists or pedestrians. The correct placement of virtual content is not only crucial, but perhaps a matter of life and death. By Ann McNamara Information can’t obscure other material, and should be displayed long enough for you to understand it, but not too much longer than that. Computer systems have to make these…
Mercedes-AMG is introducing a Mercedes-AMG GLC 43 4MATIC Coupé that offers unique combination of agility, elegance and everyday practicality, which is likely to compete with BMW X4. By Staff Writer The GLC 43 4MATIC Coupé also enables occasional off-road excursions to be undertaken: the ground clearance can be increased at the touch of a button, and the pneumatic all-round self-levelling ensures a constant vehicle level at all times. “The new GLC 43 4MATIC Coupé is characterised by a high level of agility and sporty driving dynamics. With its expressive design and high everyday practicality the Coupé is able to appeal to new…
The Wits Tshimologong Digital Innovation Precinct in Braamfontein, Johannesburg, officially opened doors today. By Staff Writer Setswana for “new beginnings”, Tshimologong is Johannesburg’s newest high-tech address, where the incubation of start-ups, the commercialisation of research and the development of high-level digital skills for students, working professionals and unemployed youths will take place. “We hope that transforming Braamfontein into Africa’s premier techno logy hub will inspire new talent, create jobs and lead to an economic renaissance,” says Barry Dwolatzky, Professor of Software Engineering in the Wits School of Electrical and Information Engineering and Director of JCSE. Programmers, designers, developers, entrepreneurs and start-ups will congregate in this half-a city-block along Juta Street. It has flexible open plan co-working…
Without data centres, today’s world stops. Flights are grounded, Wall Street closes, and the internet grinds to a halt. Yet despite their emergence as nerve centres of the global economy, data centres have drawn almost no attention in debates about globalisation and nor are they often discussed outside of business and IT publications. By Brett Neilson; Ned Rossiter and Tanya Notley Even the recent debate on the bungling of the digital census managed by the Australian Bureau of Statistics focused on questions surrounding possible distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks. This was despite mention of hardware failures as well as inadequate redundancy and load…
Cartrack has reached another growth milestone of 550 000 active subscribers, the vehicle tracking firm informed investors on Thursday. By Staff Writer The company was the first to market with a R150 000 recovery warranty, adding extra value to the consumer. To honour this warranty, the company has paid out in excess of R11.5 million since the inception in 2012. For the five-month period to July 2016, Cartrack has experienced a net growth rate of 76% in Asia with the signing of a number of significant partnerships. In Indonesia, Cartrack has developed technology locally for the transport industry. The company has…
Eileen Wilton, the CEO of black-owned IT firm Gijima won the Sponsors Leadership Award category at the inaugural Women in ICT – Partnership for Change Awards. By Staff Writer The selection of the winner of this prize was the prerogative of both the CEOs of MTN SA and Kagiso Media. The judges said the award was conferred to Wilton in recognition of the role she has played over the years as a source of great inspiration to many young professionals and in recognition of the outstanding work she has done in turning around Gijima. This inaugural programme is a partnership…