Author: Staff Writer
“As we look towards recovery,” Hu said, “we need to ensure that innovation isn’t just about today. It’s about lighting up tomorrow and creating greater social value.”
The second Gauteng SMME Summit 2021 will be held be virtually to adhere to best practice in social distancing measures and live-streamed on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. The Gauteng SMME Summit 2021 aims to help create access to information, financial assistance, and ultimately access to markets for the township-based enterprises. It will seek ways to ensure that the SMMEs overcome the financial burden that the coronavirus pandemic has caused. “Through this summit, the department seeks to tackle the issues of inclusive economic transformation and strengthen the importance of collaboration and cooperation amongst small businesses. Our objectives are to achieve tangible…
The Emerging Africa Infrastructure Fund (EAIF) has committed to buy up to $50 million (R745 million) of a bond issue by Liquid Telecom. Today, the company launched the bond, which aims to raise $600 million (R8.9 billion). The capital raised from the bond issue will be used to refinance existing debt and for corporate purposes. EAIF, acting through its agent Ninety One SA, along with The International Finance Corporation (IFC) and DEG-Deutsche Investitions-und Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbH (DEG), has committed to placing orders to purchase up to an aggregate $178 million (R2,6 billion) in the New Note Offering. Liquid Telecom has built…
The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) on Monday announced it will delay the announcement of qualified bidders upcoming spectrum auction. “The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa advises stakeholders that the announcement of qualified bidders in terms of the International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT) Invitation to Apply (ITA) of 2 October 2020 has been moved from the initial date of 22 February 2021 to 23 March 2021.” This, therefore, means that the auction phase – which comprises, amongst others, the bidder seminar, the mock auction and the actual auction – will commence by 31 March 2021, said ICASA. One…
President Cyril Ramaphosa has warned that the recent attacks on the country’s judiciary should not be taken lightly, warning that these shake the very foundations of South Africa’s constitutional democracy. “Unless supported by evidence, such claims undermine confidence in our courts, and weaken our Constitutional order,” wrote the President in his weekly newsletter on Monday. This as there have been utterances directed at the judiciary, in which some judges are accused, without any evidence, of pursuing interests other than the cause of justice. Judges have been accused of political agendas and some have even been accused of accepting bribes. “We…
Khulisa Investment Partners is planning to raise R750 million from institutional investors to invest in small-medium enterprises (SMEs). The private equity enabler founded by Dr Phumla Mnganga, Malcolm Rutherford and Chris Lister-James enables clients to build their bespoke portfolios in the private equity asset class. “Khulisa has identified the two largest bottlenecks faced by growing SME’s: the first being access to strategic and governance skills and the second, access to finance. Our solution was to establish Khulisa to address this conundrum and, by so doing, also contribute positively to our own future,” says Dr Mnganga, founder of Khulisa and Lehumo…
Capitec, South Africa’s largest digital bank, continues to support its over 15 million clients during this tough financial time through its new 2021 fees. No increases were applied to monthly fees or digital banking with the Global One monthly admin fee remaining flat at only R5, monthly credit card fee at R40, debit orders at R3.50 and digital payments at just R1. Immediate payments were reduced further to R7.50 from R8 last year and from R10 three years ago showing the bank’s commitment to lead in innovative digital payment solutions. “We’re keeping our competitive digital fees unchanged to meet client…
Smile Telecoms Holdings founder Irene Charnley has retired with effect from 1 January 2021, the Pan-African telecommunications group said on Monday. Hailed as one of Africa’s most successful business leaders, Charnley has led Smile Telecom’s innovation and pioneering of Africa’s first 4G LTE network infrastructure. Charnley has retired as deputy chairman from the Smile Telecoms board. The company also the retirement of Smile Telecoms co-founder Mohammed Wajih Sharbatly from its board and all boards of the operating companies, effective 1 January 1 2021. Sharbatly has acted as co-chairman of the group through December 2020. “Today we say farewell to our…
A distributional analysis of the ownership of South African household net wealth revealed that the wealthiest 2% of households owned almost 50% of household net wealth (just before the start of the pandemic). South African households’ real net wealth increased by an estimated R1 009.1 billion (R1.009 trillion) from the onset of the second quarter of 2020 (Q2 2020) to the end of the year (Q4 2020). This happened despite COVID-19, the lockdown, job losses and an economic contraction. This recovery follows an estimated decline of R772.8 billion during Q1 2020 that resulted from the introduction of lockdowns in many…
After over a decade of research and development around hydrogen fuel technology, President Cyril Ramaphosa says South Africa is now ready to manufacture and commercialise hydrogen fuels technology. The President said this when he responded to a debate on the State of the Nation Address in Parliament on Thursday. “For more than a decade, government has been working with various partners, including the private sector and academia, to develop hydrogen fuel cell and lithium battery storage technologies. “This work serves two important developmental objectives: it offers the possibility of a new, renewable source of energy, while establishing new uses and…
South Africa’s largest digital bank Capitec has launched a new benefit that collectively can save its clients approximately R10 million per month. Capitec Bank has partnered with Shell South Africa to put 20c per litre back into its clients’ pockets. While other banks’ fuel benefits require monthly admin, fees linked to their loyalty schemes and are designed with multiple tiers and hoops, Capitec offers all clients the benefit at no additional cost. Francois Viviers, Marketing and Communications Executive at Capitec, says, “This partnership with Shell is part of our continuous drive to help our clients live better. To us, living…
Tarsus Technology Group (Tarsus) has appointed Tarsus veteran Anton Herbst as its CEO with effect from 1 March 2021. Herbst replaces Miles Crisp, who resigned earlier this month to pursue new interests. Herbst brings to the role more than two decades of leadership experience in the ICT distribution industry, starting his career at Tarsus 20 years ago when it was known as MB Technologies. Between 2001 and 2011, Herbst was the managing director of Advanced Channel Technologies (A.C.T.), a company within Tarsus that focused on the distribution of printer consumables and accessories. Under Herbst’s leadership, A.C.T. grew from a start-up…
“Through our continued partnership with AWS, a leading provider of hybrid cloud solutions, we can support businesses in accelerating their cloud strategies to be more resilient in this uncertain future”
DFA has achieved MEF 3.0 certification for its Magellan Access EPL service which is an E-Access Ethernet Private Line managed-service offering. This follows a rigorous process of testing and ratifying that the product has met the highest and most advanced network-performance, -assurance, and -agility standards. DFA CTO, Andreas Uys, says that DFA is pleased about the certification which sets its service apart from the multitude of low-margin, fixed-bandwidth services in the market and places it in a leading position among local providers for adherence to global industry practice. ‘This certification demonstrates performance excellence and enables us to establish a standards-compliant…
Communications and Digital Technologies Minister, Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, has committed to speed up the digital migration project, which will lead to a complete analogue switch-off in March 2022. This is in line with President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement during the State of the Nation Address that the long-awaited national switch-off process of analogue television transmitters, which will see the country move away from analogue to digital broadcasting, will get underway next month. The President announced that it is anticipated that this process, which will be done province-by-province, will be completed by the end of March 2022. During a briefing on Wednesday, Ndabeni-Abrahams…
IBM today announced that it will achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 to further its decades-long work to address the global climate crisis. The company will accomplish this goal by prioritizing actual reductions in its emissions, energy efficiency efforts and increased clean energy use across the more than 175 countries where it operates. “I am proud that IBM is leading the way by taking actions to significantly reduce emissions,” said Arvind Krishna, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, IBM. “The climate crisis is one of the most pressing issues of our time. IBM’s net zero pledge is a bold step…
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit South Africa and most economic sectors were shut down, South Africans turned to e-commerce to access basic needs like food and supplies, while schools turned to e-learning. Participating in a debate on the State of the Nation Address during a hybrid sitting of Parliament on Tuesday, Small Business Development and Acting Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said the pandemic has shown everyone that the 4th Industrial Revolution is not still coming – it is here. She said the economy has already gone digital and the government is currently revising its guidelines and approach to…
Telkom has launched deals for the new Huawei P Smart 2021 phone. The latest Huawei smartphone is available for purchase at Telkom Mobile customers and Telkom Business subscribers through its online channel and in stores across the country. The Huawei P Smart 2021, which is replacing the Huawei Y9s, boasts a 5000mAh battery; 48MP Quad Al Camera and a 4GB+128GB memory with a 6,67-inch FHD+Display. “This phone is ideal for the tech-savvy user looking for all the key features of a good quality smartphone without compromising on looks,” said Gugu Mthembu, Telkom’s Chief Marketing Officer. “We always want to bring…
Mastercard and MTN today announced a strategic partnership to enable millions of consumers in 16 countries across Africa to make global e-commerce payments safely and securely. Through a Mastercard virtual payment solution linked to MTN MoMo (Mobile Money) wallets, consumers and merchants can engage with brands and businesses abroad through digital commerce, extending their reach to an international marketplace and unlocking a host of opportunities. Across Sub-Saharan Africa, mobile devices are the primary channel used to connect to the internet. According to GSMA, by 2025, it is estimated that there will be 300 million more people using their devices to…
South Africa is ranked 56th out of 79 countries in the latest Huawei Global Connectivity Index 2020 report. Despite an all-round challenging year, the country improved in the development of the AI and IOT technology enablers. Broadband and Cloud, however, showed no movement in the overall scoring. In Huawei’s seventh annual GCI report, the publication for the first time proposed five key stages of industry digital transformation. A key finding of GCI 2020 is that the digital transformation of industries helps countries boost productivity, spur economic recovery, and enhances competitiveness. The GCI research suggests that economies that go digital with…
VerPay, a South African FinTech company, launches a payment solution that enables ‘verbal commerce’. The novel Coronavirus has necessitated the need for a sharp step change across nearly every facet of daily life; which has, in turn, rendered the payments landscape ripe for innovation. “The pandemic has forced us all to do business in new ways, and not all companies have the means – or inclination – to go completely online”, says Dana Buys, CEO of VerPay Pty Ltd, a Cape FinTech company that specialises in cloud-based payment. “Many consumers still prefer dealing with a person, as opposed to…
Primedia Broadcasting today announced that Muhammad Cajee will be joining the group as Chief Digital Officer. His appointment is effective on 1 March 2021. Primedia Broadcasting has already put in place a long-term strategy to drive growth by transforming and expanding audience engagement through a range of digital channels. The role of Chief Digital Officer will see Muhammad take over as custodian of further development of the digital strategy for Primedia Broadcasting’s future, one that not only drives the acquisition and leveraging of new technologies and content, but that also serves to embed a digital-first approach in the business. “Muhammad’s…
Openserve, South Africa’s largest telecommunications infrastructure provider, announced it will double the speed of its fibre lines for existing customers. The Telkom-owned company said from 1 March 2021 it will introduce further speed upgrades and price changes on Openserve Fibre Connect and Openserve Copper Connect product offerings The company added that speed upgrade will come at no extra cost to internet service providers (ISPs). Openserve added that it was offering ISP partners incentives to enable them to easily upgrade their customers. Openserve, a division of Telkom, currently covers more than 2.4 million households in South Africa. The fibre network operator…
Jaguar and Land Rover will become an electric-only brand from 2030 onwards, as part of a bold new ‘Reimagine’ strategy announced today by the company’s boss. The company promises to reimagine the future of modern luxury by design through its two distinct, British brands. At the heart of its Reimagine plan will be the electrification of both Land Rover and Jaguar brands on separate architectures with two clear, unique personalities. The company said this marks the start of the company’s journey to become a net-zero carbon business across its supply chain, products and operations by 2039. “We are harnessing those…
Commvault, a global enterprise software leader in the management of data across cloud and on-premises environments, announced the appointment of Kate Mollett as its Regional Director for a newly expanded Commvault Africa organisation. Mollett will oversee Commvault’s Africa region with a focus on extending the company’s market share and leveraging Commvault’s expanding portfolio, including its market-leading BaaS Metallic offering, into new markets across the continent. A priority focus will be leveraging Commvault’s well-established partner network across the region while looking for new partnerships to realise the huge market opportunity in many African markets for SaaS-based solutions and utility pricing options.…