Author: Staff Writer

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…

MTN on Monday announced a rewards programme for users of its mobile money service, MoMo, which is now reaching a million users in South Africa. The mobile payment service was launched to the public on 1 February and the millionth customer was registered on 19 June. Innovation is core to the MoMo offering – today marks the launch of a range of exciting new features to benefit users. These include rewards for those referring a friend, MoMo Pay for e-commerce, as well as cashback on airtime purchases. Seamless access to food vouchers will be available from the first week of…

MTN announced on Monday that its mobile money service, MoMo, has reached a significant milestone of registering one million customers across South Africa. The operator said this indicates a growing demand for fast and efficient ways to store, send and spend money. The mobile payment service was launched to the public on 1 February and the millionth customer was registered on 19 June. MTN saw an increase in MoMo registrations and usage since the nationwide lockdown began in late March, specifically in peer-to-peer remittances, with people sending money to family and friends. Demand for value-added functionalities like purchasing pre-paid electricity,…

Dr Katlego Lekalakala has not seen her mother or her other loved ones in over two months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She, like many around the country, last saw her loved ones in the days leading up to the country’s COVID-19 lockdown back in March. While some may resent the lockdown, which came into place at midnight on 26 March 2020 for separating them from their loved ones, the doctor sees staying away is a precaution to protect her family. With the number of those contracting the virus on the rise, it is essential for South Africans to do…

Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula has called on the South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) leadership to reconsider their decision to incite lawlessness, and place their drivers and passengers on a collision course with law enforcement authorities. This comes after Santaco announced that it has taken a decision to revert to 100% loading capacity in its taxis. On Sunday, Santaco President Philip Taaibosch announced that taxis will operate at full capacity, while those travelling along long-distance routes will be allowed to continue travelling without a permit. Taaibosch said if any taxis were stopped by law enforcement and impounded, taxi operations across…

Tobacco giant British American Tobacco SA (BATSA) and nine other litigants are fuming at Western Cape judge president John Hlophe for postponing a hearing in their case against the cigarette ban. The cigarette ban case was originally agreed to be heard on Tuesday, but Hlophe postponed it by over a month, without giving reasons. The litigants have threatened to take the case to another court. The Sunday Times said it had seen e-mails between Lizette Potgieter, registrar of the chambers of the Western Cape judge president, and the applicant’s lawyers, in which all parties first agreed the matter should be heard…

The COVID-19 is claiming an average of 70 lives a day in South Africa and Gauteng currently has the worst infection rate in the country. Gauteng could also overtake the Western Cape in total cases. Wits University health economist Professor Alex van den Heever told the Sunday Times that Gauteng will reach the Western Cape’s daily death figures – which for the past fortnight have averaged 50 a day – “within 10 days.” Gauteng’s hotspots are the inner city and southern areas of Johannesburg, followed by Soweto, Protea Glen and Doornkop, according to the provincial command council. As of yesterday,…

Fidelity ADT recently partnered strategically with Vumacam to roll out a surveillance network of cameras across a number of southern suburbs, starting with the Glenvista and Mulbarton areas. About 27 poles in total with 27 License Plate recognition (LPR) cameras and 54 overview cameras will be erected. The camera project will completely ring-fence Bassonia, Glenvista, Mulbarton and Glenanda areas. According to Wahl Bartmann, CEO for Fidelity Services Group, the increase in crime has prompted many communities to take a more proactive stance regarding their local security requirements and they are now starting to work far more closely with the authorities…

Only 18 months after launching, TymeBank has been rated as one of the top three in digital banking in South Africa. Conducted by InSites Consulting, the SITEisfaction report is an annual measure of customer satisfaction with digital banking services in South Africa. Rating each institution with a score ranging from -100 (worst possible experience) to +100 (best possible experience), TymeBank achieved a total of 74 (just 7 points shy of first place). This accolade follows on the recent Forbes accolade, which recognised TymeBank as the 2nd best bank in SA by Forbes for its high levels of customer satisfaction and…