Author: Staff Writer
Over the past 24 hours, Eskom experienced protests at nine of its power stations and other operating facilities, by some of its employees who have embarked on unprotected strike action following a deadlock in wage negotiations on Tuesday. These protests included incidents of intimidation of working employees and blockading of roads leading to power stations and other facilities, inhibiting the free flow of personnel and commodities required for the generation of electricity and smooth operations. The increased unavailability of plant has necessitated an extensive usage of emergency generation reserves, which are depleting faster than can be replenished. Eskom cautions the…
Vodacom, South Africa’s largest mobile phone operator, wants to connect a million unemployed South African youth to the gig economy. A gig economy is a free market system in which temporary positions are common and organisations hire independent workers for short-term commitments. The term “gig” is a slang word for a job that lasts a specified period of time. Traditionally, the term was used by musicians to define a performance engagement. In a bid to give youth a fighting chance in this tough economy, Vodacom said in a statement today that it has launched Get-a-Gig through NXT LVL with a three-year…
When the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) recently proposed linking biometric data to SIM cards, privacy concerns quickly cropped up. Would this mean constant surveillance or an increased potential for identity theft? A resounding no, and no, says Gur Geva, Co-Founder and CEO of iiDENTIFii, the leader in remote biometric digital facial authentication and automated onboarding technology. “Because biometric technology only started making its way into the mainstream relatively recently, consumers are still unsure of what the technology entails and how it may be used. This, naturally, leads to some misconceptions and fears. The reality is that opt-in…
The Shoprite Group has launched Shoprite Next Capital, a business division dedicated to capacitate and grow commercially-viable SMMEs to further the Group’s continued efforts to give small suppliers access to its consumer market. As drivers of growth, job creation and innovation, SMMEs are crucial to the recovery of the South African economy, and Shoprite Next Capital is the formalisation of the key role the Group plays in the success of SMMEs by giving them access to its consumer market. “With Shoprite Next Capital our aim is to further enhance the participation of small and emerging suppliers in our business.…
MTN is ranked first among South Africa’s mobile operators with a median 5G download speed reaching 213.37 Mbps in Q1 2022, followed by Vodacom, a report by speed test service Ookla revealed on Wednesday. Ookla, which owns and operates the popular speedtest.net Internet speed testing service, has published its latest Speedtest Global Index rankings for South Africa for the first quarter of 2022, said median upload speed suffered a nearly 40% decrease, going from 46.05 Mbps to 27.32 Mbps. “When we examined the State of 5G Worldwide in 2021, we concluded that it’s common to see new mobile access technologies…
BMW Group Plant Rosslyn, which builds the BMW X3 Sports Activity Vehicle (SAV) for South Africa and around 30 export markets, has added 16 African countries to its portfolio. BMW Group Plant Rosslyn, situated outside Pretoria, has produced vehicles since 1968 and was established as the first BMW Group production facility outside Germany. Plant Rosslyn first produced the BMW X3 in April 2018, after a R6.2 billion investment to prepare it for production after close to 35 years of BMW 3 Series production. The investment – one of the biggest in the local automotive industry at the time – was…
MTN South Africa announced today that it is ramping up the rollout of 5G coverage to bring a seamless, fast and cutting-edge network experience to more South Africans. With over 1,000 active 5G sites across the country currently, MTN aims to have at least 25% of the population covered by the end of 2022. “We want to have 5G connectivity across almost every part of SA. Our aim is to bring the benefits of the Fourth Industrial Revolution to more people in an efficient and cost-effective way. This means expanding our 5G coverage every day, with a strong focus on…
Vodacom today pays tribute to its independent non-executive director David Brown, who tragically passed away on Sunday 19 June 2022. David was highly regarded and widely respected by his fellow Board members. Over a period of more than ten years, David made a significant contribution to the Board, having served Vodacom with impeccable measure and sound judgement. His leadership leaves an indelible mark on the Vodacom team and his generous advice and wise counsel will be sorely missed. Vodacom Group CEO Shameel Joosub says “David was an invaluable member of the Vodacom family, who was held in great esteem by all who…
The artistic skills of most African youth lay latent, awaiting a trigger. So, amid the commemoration of Youth Month, it is apt to take an intensified note of the creative possibilities of the young ones. Such prospects could emerge from harnessing the deep-rooted ability of the youth to create. On that account, encouraged observation and learning from the journey of arts from elders is essential to spark the youth’s hidden talent. An inspiration standing tall and worthy of note among patriarchs is that of mama Noria Mabasa. Forming part of her numerous achievements is that Mabasa is the recipient of…
BMW South Africa has launched Charter products, a new an all-inclusive finance solution that offers the benefits of driving the latest BMW and MINI vehicles, without having to own a vehicle. The BMW Group Financial Services Charter solution allows consumers the use of a BMW or MINI vehicle, at a fixed monthly rental payment, without the need to consider a deposit, depreciating values, interest rate fluctuations or final balloon payments. BMW Group South Africa, in adapting to the changing needs of consumers, has meticulously designed the Charter finance solution for individuals who drive fewer than 20,000 km per year, prefer an…