Author: Staff Writer
Communications and Digital Technologies Minister, Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, has implored the boards of the South African Post Office (SAPO) and Postbank to fast track the digitisation of banking services to make them more efficient. This comes after the Minister, during meetings with the entities in the past two weeks, raised concerns about the handling of the COVID-19 Special Social Relief of Distress Grant distribution. “The Minister’s concerns included pay points running out of cash on payment dates,” said the Ministry in a statement. The meeting with SAPO was held last week, while the one with Postbank was held on Thursday. As…
The Unemployment Insurance Fund has, as of Friday, disbursed R40-billion in COVID-19 Temporary Employee Relief Scheme disbursements to cushion the economic blow of the lockdown on workers as a result of the pandemic. “Today we reached that magical figure that we committed to make the lives of workers in the country easier by injecting hard cash into the economy through disbursements to our contributors. We made a commitment of R40-billion and I am happy today to say we have kept our promise. “But this is not all. As we have committed to an extension of the scheme until August 15…
Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula has presented to the ANC’s national executive committee (NEC) an ambitious plan to save the taxi industry. The plan includes the establishment of a co-operative bank owned by taxi operators, according to a report in Mail & Guardian. The idea of a co-operative bank will be presented at a planned National Taxi Indaba by Mbalula as part of his grand plan to empower the taxi industry and create a value chain. Presenting this plan to the NEC, he said: “Various options are being considered which include either establishing a national co-operative bank owned by the taxi…
SANEDI (South African National Energy Development Institute) and the Mineworkers Development Agency (MDA) have signed a partnership agreement to bring relief to the country’s former mineworkers and their communities. The relief comes in the wake of mine closures and the ever-growing prevalence of mining “ghost towns” and other poverty-stricken areas. This partnership is offering immediate COVID-19 support to 200 identified needy families, worst affected by the pandemic in mining communities in the Free State and the North West provinces. SANEDI and MDA will be providing packages that include portable LPG stove systems with a number of LPG refill vouchers to…
The latest unemployment statistics released by Stats SA paint an ominous and gloomy picture for millions of female headed households who are facing the depressing prospects of impoverishment due to loss of income. In addition to being already disadvantaged in the labour market, women accounted for a disproportionate share of job losses resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and made up 2 of the three million people who lost their jobs at the beginning of the year. Global beauty and personal care company Avon has stepped in to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 job losses by offering prospective Sales Representatives who…
Electricity continues to be a huge problem in our country during the pandemic, where further load shedding is being experienced due to cable theft. This not only impacts the residential sector but also both commercial and industrial power users. A solution to alleviate the lack of security of supply is by installing solar panels and batteries at businesses or households, especially at essential services such as hospitals where power is needed the most. Given the impact of the pandemic, hospitals need constant power to ensure patient’s care. Solar panels coupled with a battery storage solution provides a good alternative for…
Despite the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic and the need to minimise social gatherings to curb the spread of the virus, beauty and personal care company Avon Justine will once again partner with non-governmental organisations to host the first-ever virtual national walkathon on 31 October this year to raise funds for breast cancer awareness and education. This first-ever national and bREis the 15th edition of iThemba Walkathon that Avon Justine and its non-governmental partners host each year to raise funds for breast cancer awareness and education. Safety and the need to minimise social gatherings is a primary concern this year, hence…
South African tech startups are making it big in global markets as they expand their solutions. Explore, a South African data science startup, wants to position itself as a global player in data science over the next five years. In early 2019, Explore AI, Explore’s consulting arm, was appointed by Thames Water to deliver the analytics involved in monitoring the water levels of over 150 000 kilometres of water, waste and collection piping. The information will enable the utility to pre-empt blockages that result from flooding or pollution. Thames Water supplies over 15 million customers within London and the greater…
Pricing for a new Jaguar F-TYPE ready to seduce South Africa has been revealed. Available in both Coupé and Convertible form, the two-seat sports car has evolved from its World Car Design-winning predecessor’s form with new super-slim pixel LED headlights featuring subtly revised ‘Calligraphy’ J signature daytime running lights. Three engine options are available to South African customers, starting with a 221kW/400Nm Ingenium 2.0-litre 4-cylinder P300. This model dashes from 0-100km/h in 5.7 seconds and on to a top speed of 250km/h, with an average combined fuel consumption of 7.2l/100km. An ever-popular supercharged 3.0-litre V6 P380 with 280kW and 460Nm…
Communications Minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams has picked a fight with the SA Post Office (SAPO). At the centre of the battle is the payment of the R350 COVID-19 relief grants, according to the City Press report. The newspaper said the SAPO board does not want the organisation to be involved in the distribution of the R350 COVID-19 grants. However, Ndabeni-Abrahams is in favour of the SAPO paying and distributing the R350 COVID-19 grants. SA Post Office spokesperson Bongani Diako dismissed the alleged rift between Ndabeni-Abrahams and the SAPO board as non-existent. “All the allegations by faceless individuals are denied and dismissed…
World Cup-winning Springbok star, Bryan Habana, has announced the first two months of traction achieved with his award-winning creative team’s MatchKit.co, an innovative platform that gives athletes a ground-breaking solution for commercialising their digital brand. The two-month milestone also comes with the announcement of a ground-breaking partnership with the JVW Football Club (JVW FC), owned by Banyana Banyana Captain, Janine van Wyk. JVW FC focuses on the development of female football players and along with Matchkit.co, gives the athletes the platform to reach higher levels in the sport. Van Wyk says the partnership will continue to elevate the status of her developing athletes: “I am so glad…
President Cyril Ramaphosa has urged the Presidential Commission on the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) to place 4IR at the centre of South Africa’s economic recovery. This is to enable the country to emerge from the damaging impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. “South Africa must be a more technologically driven country that finds solutions that move us forward, with 4IR as a pivot for economic recovery,” said President Ramaphosa. The President said digital transformation has to be harnessed “to change the way we live, learn, work and govern.” President Ramaphosa made the remarks, when he received the recommendations contained in the…
Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) today announced that it will improve the delivery of a fully blended and fully online learning experience to more than 64 000 students. Despite previously working with another learning provider for more than 23 years, TUT wanted to improve the quality of learning content delivery and increase its options for blended and fully online learning. This is underpinned by an ambitious strategy that will see the university adopt digital and smart technologies to enhance student-learning experiences, facilitate knowledge creation, increase engagement, and accelerate technology transfer. In the long term, TUT’s objective is to become South Africa’s first truly…
The South African restaurant industry has been hard hit by COVID-19. It is under huge pressure to adjust to continuous changes in regulations while still trying keep customers satisfied and safe. But Nando’s has used the Lockdown to bring ideas to life that would not otherwise have been priorities in pre-pandemic times. Nando’s embraced South African Lockdown as an opportunity to drive some technological innovation and adaptation, becoming the first restaurant in South Africa to launch Kerbside collection as well as enhancing the way the brand interacted with customers through technology. Darren Hampton, GM of Digital Marketing says, “No matter what moment you find yourself in…
Standard Bank announced on Thursday that its successful virtual card has now been launched in other African markets including Zambia. Ethel Nyembe, Head, Card and Payments, Standard Bank, said this would make it easier and safer for more everyday Africans to make purchases online. In 2018, Standard Bank launched Africa’s first prepaid and co-branded virtual card that can be loaded in real-time from any account that a customer has with Standard Bank. The card is accessible on the Standard Bank mobile app, where it can be created – at no extra charge – and topped up on a regular basis.…
When considering investing in a home, factors such as safety, health and proximity to amenities are priority concerns. And, while these are influential factors when deciding on a retirement home, it’s the investment’s value for money that will determine the lifestyle retirees will enjoy. “When it comes to mature lifestyle estates, it’s important to ensure you are getting value for money,” explained Phil Barker of Renishaw Property Developments. “Often coastal developments are able to inflate prices simply because of location, but retirees need to consider getting the most out of their money while still enjoying that ‘holiday lifestyle’ afforded by…
Absa Bank has launched a partnership with e-hailing service Bolt in a significant expansion of the bank’s rewards programme in South Africa. As of 1 August 2020, Absa Rewards customers will earn up to 30% cashback on rides booked through the Bolt app nationwide, and up to 30% cashback on food orders booked on the Bolt Food app. The partnership is also the first time that Bolt has partnered with a bank rewards programme – in South Africa or anywhere else in the world. Absa believes that the partnership with Bolt complements the other Absa Rewards offerings, which include travel,…
Avon will join millions of women across the country to commemorate Women’s Month at a time when there is a renewed focus on increasing our women’s share of voice in the public domain and accelerating the removal of the barriers that impede women from reaching their full potential. As part of its celebration of Women’s Month, the global beauty company that is Avon will embark on a number of activities aimed at giving women a voice and will rally its NGO partners and media houses to help encourage women to share their stories of hope that document how they have…
A joint law enforcement operation has slammed the brakes on a sophisticated pyramid scheme that fleeced 230 000 unsuspecting investors of millions of rands amid the COVID-19 lockdown. The National Prosecuting Authority, Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) and the National Consumer Commission (NCC) gave details on the “Up Money” pyramid scheme at a press briefing on Tuesday. The scheme was probed by the NCC after an East London resident laid a complaint. Acting NCC Commissioner Thezi Mabuza said a subsequent investigation revealed that Up Money (Pty) Ltd (Up Money) contravened the Consumer Protection Act by promoting and causing members of the…
Staffing and spacing is the biggest challenge that will face the public education sector when schools welcome all learners on 24 August 2020. This is according to Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga who on Tuesday paid a visit to Eletsa Secondary School and Tshepagalang Secondary School in Letlhabile, Brits to monitor the return of Grade 12 learners to schools. The visit follows a weeklong break following various calls in the education sector to suspend schooling as COVID-19 infections surged in the country. Grade 12s returned to the classroom on Monday and will be followed by the Grade 7s who will…
MTN on Tuesday unveiled its new pan-African API marketplace to enable developers and businesses to discover and subscribe to what will become the largest library of open APIs published on the continent. The API marketplace is known as Chenosis, a name Chenosis derived from the ancient Greek word ‘Henosis’ which means ‘oneness’, ‘union’ or ‘unity’. It is a cross-industry API marketplace that enables developers, entrepreneurs and businesses to come together to create, discover and integrate into the fastest growing library of open APIs. “Chenosis is a separate brand and entity, and will have an arms-length relationship with MTN so that…
Standard Bank Insurance, through its Direct Life Insurance Services division, is now offering consumers the option of purchasing life insurance online. Consumers can now purchase Life Cover, Salary Protection, Disability Cover, and Serious Illness Cover by answering just a few simple questions on the Standard Bank Insurance website. “There has been a growing need for a seamless online experience when it comes to life insurance,” says Chris De Klerk, Head Life Insurance Innovation and Solutions. “Our clients are increasingly interacting with us digitally, so building a solution that allows them to buy life insurance online was the next logical step.”…
DStv announced on Monday that it has decided to drop SuperSport’s numbering system it has used for its channels for more than two decades, replacing them with a thematic offering around individual sports to ensure it is easier for viewers to find their favourite sports. From September 1, SuperSport viewers on DStv will be able to enjoy special dedicated channels for leagues and sports, among them the PSL, the Premier League, La Liga, rugby, cricket, golf, tennis, motorsport and several others, which will now have a home to call their own. Not just live sport will be housed in these…
Ethnic women with darker hued skin often struggle with pigmentation, dark spots and uneven skin tone as they age. Justine has developed a tailor-made solution called A-Firm Brightening that addresses these ageing concerns. A-Firm Brightening is clinically proven to even skin tone, reduce the appearance of blemishes and combat uneven skin tone. In addition to its even tone benefits, A-Firm Brightening also addresses other ageing concerns, such as fine lines and loss of volume which leads to sagging and hallow skin, this exciting range will provide firmer results with a matte finish. A-Firm Brightening combines cutting-edge skin brightening and firming…
South African Express employees have engaged an equity funding platform, Uprise.Africa, to assist in raising the capital needed to save SA Express. The group strongly believes that SA Express (SAX) is a national asset that should be salvaged and definitely not liquidated. They further believe that the company is a viable business and if rescued with the correct strategy, could be a very profitable one. “Liquidating SAX translates into slicing through the very artery that feeds the minor towns and cities in SA, and closing the gateway to our more rural areas,” said SAX spokesperson Michael Hlatshwayo in a statement.…