Author: Staff Writer
Audi has launched the AudiSmart Service plan, an affordable new service offering which is applicable to all Audi vehicles that are 6 to 13 years old (or within a maximum mileage threshold of 270 000 KM), and which fall out of the standard Audi Freeway Plan or Freeway Plan Extension. This progressive new plan includes cover for two years and/or 30 000 KM (whichever occurs first) and includes two minor oil change services at a significantly discounted price. AudiSmart Service ensures that only trained Audi technicians will maintain the vehicle, according to the highest standards of Vorsprung service excellence. Further to this,…
Online trading is taking the African continent by the storm. Forex platforms present a viable earning tool for the local population. Anyone can profit from currency trades remotely — all they need is software and a registered account. These are provided by intermediaries known as brokers. The companies are classified as ECN or market makers based on their revenue source. The former is the purest form of brokerage. Here is why. The foreign exchange is an over-the-counter market. This means buyers and sellers establish a direct connection through intermediaries. Individuals, banks and market traders all partake in the activity. If…
The Competition Tribunal has slapped pharmacy group, Dis-Chem, with a R1.2 million fine for excessively overpricing surgical masks during the COVID-19 pandemic. This comes after the company was found guilty following complaints registered by the public. In its order and reasons, the Tribunal found that Dis-Chem contravened the Competition Act for charging excessive prices for three types of surgical face masks to the detriment of consumers during March 2020. The Tribunal considered the background to the COVID-19 pandemic as the economic context in which Dis-Chem had increased its prices on three occasions. This included, among others, the fact that the…
South African company Brand Hubb is using an innovative e-commerce platform to change how South African consumers exchange gifts. “We are expanding our business offering by leveraging technology to improve or reinvent ‘stuffy’ tradition,” says Rob Anderson, CEO of Brand Hubb. “The next big idea is usually found by identifying and resolving areas that cause consumers pain or stress”. Brand Hubb’s Chip In gifting solution is a case in point. It was built to address the pain points that most consumers experience when giving gifts. Finding the perfect gift used to involve spending countless hours trawling through physical stores until,…
JSE-listed 4Sight announced on Tuesday that it has inked a strategic deal with Unplugg Group, a black-owned tech company. As part of the transaction, a new entity to be known as 4Sight Unplugg has been formed. The new company will be 51%-owned by Unplugg and 49% by 4Sight. 4Sight Unplugg’s board will be led by Antony Hlungwane, the CEO of Unplugg. Hlungwane has more than 20 years’ experience in the ICT industry. He is a former CIO of Mr Price and has extensive executive experience in the retail, banking and telecommunications industries. In 2013 and 2015 he was a finalist in…
IT and data science students are invited to apply for the Shoprite Group’s bursary programme for the 2021 academic year. Each bursary comes with a work-back agreement to deepen learning with a strong practical element to gain hands-on experience in the business. “Our IT capabilities are complex, extensive and ever-growing,” confirms David Cohn, the CIO. Most recently the Group was the first retailer in South Africa to launch virtual vouchers and contactless QR payments in direct response to the Covid-19 pandemic. “We operate in an incredibly fast-paced environment, at the forefront of retail innovation. As such we are offering IT…
Online and video medical consultations prompted by COVID-19 restrictions will continue even after the threat of the pandemic has passed because they are convenient, cost-effective and broaden access to healthcare. That’s according to Dr. Steven Holt, CEO of First Care Solutions, a medical services and administration company that is part-owned and -funded by RMB Ventures. In partnership with Johannesburg-based ER Consulting Inc, in February 2020, First Care Solutions launched its direct telephonic and video consultations for South Africans who require medical attention. “Demand for virtual, online and telephonic medical consultations – or telemedicine, to use the generic term – has…
Meet the new BMW X5 M Competition and BMW X6 M Competition. Both powerhouses possess a high-revving 4.4-litre V8 engine with M TwinPower Turbo technology, resulting in a power increase over their respective predecessors of 37 kW for both the BMW X5 M Competition and the BMW X6 M Competition. This sees both the BMW X5 M Competition and the BMW X6 M Competition boasting 460 kW of power (at 6 000 rpm) and a maximum torque of 750 Nm between 1800 – 5600 rpm. Both the BMW X5 M Competition and the BMW X6 M Competition accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h…
The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) has declared that 85% of the UIF cases which were previously deemed not to be qualifying for the R350 COVID-19 grant qualify. This is a major about-turn for an agency that has rejected millions of applicants for the special grant. On 21 April, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a R500 billion stimulus package to deal with the negative economic impact of COVID-19. As part of the package, Ramaphosa revealed a special COVID-19 Social Relief of Distress grant of R350 a month for six months to be paid to jobless individuals. The relief grant excludes…
Phathilizwi Training Institution has invoiced the OR Tambo district municipality R4.8 million for ‘work’ done over four days. The Sunday Times reported that the company claims to have hired community workers to embark on a door-to-door COVID-19 awareness campaign in the Eastern Cape. Documents leaked online show that Phathilizwi Training Institution invoiced the district municipality for just over R3m on May 21 and a further R1.8m four days later. The municipality now says it has launched a probe into the project. Municipal speaker Xolile Nkompela told the Sunday Times he has asked the director in his office to provide a…
The Gauteng government wants to reintroduce a hard lockdown in the province to curb the rapid spread of COVID-19. This is an attempt to curb soaring COVID-19 numbers in the province. The Sunday Times reported that if the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) approves the request, it could see Gauteng being shut down for up to two weeks at a time. “Nobody goes to work and no-one moves,” Gauteng health MEC Bandile Masuku told the newspaper. “Then the economy opens up again for a particular period of time and then it closes again. So at least there is predictability and…
iStore today announced that it will open its largest flagship store in Cape Town on 13 July. The new iStore Queens Hotel V&A store is located on Dock Road, Cape Town, amid the vibrant city centre, cultural landmarks and shopping district. The Queens Hotel building has stood on this spot, which used to be on the shoreline of the harbour, since around 1880. iStore in conjunction with the property owners, V&A Waterfront, has been on a two-year journey to attentively restore the building to its iconic status. “The result is breath taking, it is one of our second largest store…
At a time when South African SMEs need it most, FinTech SME capital provider, ProfitShare Partners today announced that it has secured R100 million from the SA SME Fund. This will allow ProfitShare Partners to partner with more small and medium businesses to provide much-needed capital to catalyse growth for SMEs. In the midst of the COVID-19 crisis, SMEs have been severely affected – even after the easing of lockdown restrictions over the past few weeks. According to the colloquium held on 23-24 June 2020 by the National Planning Commission on small business as the spine of economic recovery and…
Avon is introducing its LATEST ANEW Skin Reset Plumping Shots, powered with Protinol, which is a patented formula that is clinically proven to revitalize skin by naturally restoring collagen 1 and 3 to a perfect balance that is found in baby skin. Independent scientific tests have confirmed that Protinol, the breakthrough formula discovered by Avon, helps to rebuild and simulate the perfect balance of collagen. The findings were authenticated in a test conducted in a controlled laboratory environment where these never seen results were observed and validated. The breakthrough ingredient is already gaining attention from industry leading scientists. Dr Bayat…
South Africa’s FinTech startups, associated with AlphaCode, share how the country’s extended lockdown has provided some with growth opportunities as people adapt how they engage with their finances, while other FinTechs share their challenges. Andile Maseko, head of ecosystem development at AlphaCode explains, “Mixed experiences are expected for our members but those with a digital first approach are benefiting the most. Those experiencing difficulties, are evaluating product offerings to better address the new normal, but the uncertainty of the COVID-19 environment adds complexity to pivoting.” Business is better than usual A business achieving records is Luno, a global cryptocurrency…
MTN this week successfully launched its superfast 5G next-generation mobile network across major cities in South Africa, including Johannesburg, Cape Town, Bloemfontein and Port Elizabeth. During a YouTube livestream media launch, speed tests were performed at various locations in Johannesburg showing download speeds in excess of 600Mbps, with latencies averaging 15ms demonstrated. Tests performed by media reported download speeds peaking in excess of 700Mbps and upload speeds peaking at 100Mbps Huawei Massive MIMO deployed in Johannesburg Leveraging on multiple bands, MTN deployed 5G in 2.1GHz using Dynamic Spectrum Sharing, 3.5GHz and 28GHz bands. 3.5 GHz, known as C-band, is the…
You love Top Hits South Africa. Your partner is obsessed with AmaPiano Grooves. So, deciding who gets to play DJ at home or in the car is a constant battle. Luckily, Spotify is making it even easier for two people to enjoy music together (or separately) with the launch of Spotify Premium Duo – our new, first-of-its-kind subscription plan. Beginning today, Duo will be rolling out in 55 markets globally, including South Africa. Premium Duo is for two people living at the same home address and costs R79.99 per month. Each individual gets their own Premium account under one plan…
The Huawei Watch GT 2e is the newest addition to the Huawei Watch GT 2 Series. This 46mm fitness watch is stylish, with a unibody design, an integrated 1.39-inch AMOLED high precision touch glass display and a choice of nearly 200 watch faces. The Huawei Watch GT 2e provides a tracking function for up to 100 sports. In addition to the original 15 sport modes, there are 85 customised sport tracking modes so that you can explore and be inspired to try new sports. For each exercise, the smartwatch will record data such as exercise time, calories, heart rate, workout…
Broadband Infraco has added a capability to monitor the West African Cable System (WACS) undersea cable’s performance as part of its newly acquired service offerings. The WACS cable connects South Africa to the United Kingdom, with landing stations in Portugal and 11 other countries along the West Coast of Africa, spanning the West Coast of Africa and terminating in the United Kingdom, enabling connectivity into the rest of Europe and America. This newly added service offering, which was available from May 2020, will afford Broadband Infraco the opportunity to oversee the operation, maintenance, configuration, testing and monitoring of the WACS…
Computicket, which launched virtual grocery vouchers to help people in need during the Covid-19 pandemic, has sold almost 200 000 vouchers valued at over R50 million since the start of the lockdown. It is also live streaming events and partnering with SA Rugby to raffle tickets for Food Forward SA and Gift of the Givers. The ticket seller, whose business came to a standstill when the lockdown was announced, moved quickly in early April 2020 to reinvent itself. In a matter of days Computicket launched virtual grocery vouchers – a secure, technology-based solution to provide food assistance quickly, efficiently and…
As part of its partnership with Lionesses of Africa, the one million+ strong all-female business network in Africa, Volkswagen has introduced ‘The Lionesses Den’ and is calling on female-owned businesses in South Africa to share a two-minute pitch. The top three pitches will win capital to invest in their businesses and in turn help drive the South African economy forward. This offers an opportunity for female entrepreneurs to access capital amid the COVID-19 challenges on the South African economy and small businesses in particular. According to a 2018 survey conducted by Facebook, in partnership with the World Bank and the…
Kabza De Small’s release of his 27-track album “I am the King of Amapiano: Sweet & Dust” is the first album in South African history to occupy the first 26 spots of the top 30 music charts. This latest album proves again that Kabza is the president of Amapiano. The album features the likes of South African voices such as Daliwonga, Mlindo The Vocalist and rappers Focalistic and Cassper Nyovest, as well as African superstars WizKid and Burna Boy. 🙏🙏❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ https://t.co/C1xmqI4INr— #ThePianoKing (@KabzaDeSmall_) June 26, 2020 🙏 https://t.co/6onp3500IG— #ThePianoKing (@KabzaDeSmall_) June 28, 2020 🙏 https://t.co/BX5iZkmcz3— #ThePianoKing (@KabzaDeSmall_) June 28, 2020 🙏🙏❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️…
South Africa’s COVID-19 cases are on a sharp and steady increase with 6 130 new cases reported on Monday, bringing the total number to 144 264. A further 73 COVID-19 related deaths were reported, bringing the total to 2 529. Of the 73 new deaths reported, 1 was from Mpumalanga, 5 from Limpopo, 2 from North West, 6 from Gauteng, 10 from the Eastern Cape, 6 from KwaZulu-Natal and 43 from the Western Cape. “The numbers are picking up and the surge is on the way. Particularly in Gauteng, the numbers are locking up faster than anticipated. “Western Cape started surging numbers…
South Africa’s Mama Money has joined forces with Western Union, the world leader in cross-border, cross-currency money movement and payments. The partnership enables Mama Money customers to send money to their loved ones around the world via Western Union’s Global Network. “When the April lockdown hit, we saw a massive drop in remittances leaving South Africa due to the restrictions on movement to paying for money transfers and uncertainty. Remittance outflows for certain countries dropped by 90%,” Mathieu Coquillon, co-founder of Mama Money says. “However, we’ve seen a very swift recovery since May as economic activities began to resume.” Since…
What do you get when you bring the flair and expertise of three of the top French perfumers in the world? A festival of captivating and alluring scents and a delightful symphony for the senses. Avon is bringing this exhilarating treat of the senses to its customers in a trio of premium perfumes for her under the brand name Artistique Parfumiers, that have been developed by multiple award-winning French perfumers Emilie Coppermann, Maurice Roucel and Alexandra Carlin. These internationally-acclaimed perfumers have developed a line-up of high-end perfumes exclusive to Avon, namely Patchouli Indulgence, Magnolia en Fleurs and Iris Fétiche. Each…