Author: Staff Writer
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.…
Pick n Pay Clothing today launched its online shop and customers can now view the full clothing range online and shop their favourite items for delivery straight to their doorstep nationwide. This new addition means that customers can now shop the full Pick n Pay in-store offering online – ranging from groceries to general merchandise, and now clothing. Customers have always had the convenience of finding the latest clothing trends in their supermarket or nearby Clothing standalone store, and now accessibility will be even easier with the launch of their online shop. This step makes PnP Clothing one of the…
South African based business accelerator Grindstone has launched a new venture capital fund, Grindstone Ventures, dedicated to provide early-stage equity funding to its cohorts of companies and alumni. Grindstone Accelerator is a structured entrepreneurship development programme that is jointly owned by leading venture capital fund manager Knife Capital and market access specialist Thinkroom Consulting. It takes South African SMEs with proven traction through an intensive year-long review of their strategies and provides them with the necessary support to build a foundation for growth in becoming more investable, sustainable and exit-ready. Key growth gaps identified are addressed during the programme, opening…
A total of 401 million online searches for used cars took place last year (an all-time record and an almost 40% increase year-on-year). Furthermore, the average selling price of a used car in the last year was R289 312, an increase of R9 003 over the previous year. These are amongst the key findings contained in the 2020 AutoTrader Car Industry Report, which was released on Monday, 3 August. This annual report details trends and insights into the South African used car market. As the largest digital automotive marketplace in South Africa, AutoTrader provides unparalleled insight into car-buying patterns in…
Capitec’s new banking app has reached the number 1 spot on both the South African Google Play and Apple app store charts. It currently trends on the charts ahead of Zoom, Whatsapp Messenger, Tik Tok and Facebook. “Our digital banking services are the most widely used in the country, with over 7.5 million active users,” Gerrie Fourie, CEO of Capitec Bank, says. “We’ve also noted a significant increase between January and July 2020, with the bank welcoming almost 600 000 new digital banking clients.” This success comes at a time when bank’s traditional service channels are taking a back seat…
SASSA presents beneficiaries of the COVID-19 grant with an opportunity to receive their grants at their chosen and convenient outlets. Beneficiaries can now change from one payment method to another. They can change from receiving their grant at the Post Office to a bank account of their choice or vice versa. They also have the flexibility to move from one bank to another. In order to achieve this, SASSA is opening its system for approved citizens to update the channel through which payment should be made. This will be open from Monday 03 August to Sunday 09 August 2020, 24…
The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) has paid 4 million people their R350 Social Relief Grant, according to Minister of Social Development, Lindiwe Zulu. Zulu made the statement on Thursday in a hybrid sitting of the National Assembly on “Socioeconomic Interventions to Mitigate the Impact of the Covid-19 pandemic”. Zulu said SASSA has received 7 million applications for the R350 Social Relief Grant and has already paid 4 million people. SASSA started taking nationwide applications for the grant on 11 May 2020 and promised to make the first payment on 15 May 2020. But millions of unemployed South Africans continue to complain that they have…