Author: Staff Writer

Work has officially started on a plan to completely redevelop and expand the Bushbuckridge shopping centre in Mpumalanga Province. Last November, Nthoese Development hosted a sod-turning ceremony to mark the commencement of the redevelopment and expansion of Bushbuckridge shopping centre to address social-economic challenges in the area. The shopping centre is located at the corner of R40 and R533 in Bushbuckridge CBD which is portion 8 (a portion of portion 5) of the farm Maviljan 252 measuring 7,4608 hectares. The R40 is the main north-south road through the municipal area. It links Nelspruit through Hazyview to Phalaborwa Limpopo. Bushbuckridge Urban Renewal…

In a Black Friday surprise, MTN has allocated two billion YelloBucks to loyal customers. All customers who have been with MTN SA for six months or longer now have extra YelloBucks to spend until 30 November. “At MTN, we believe in rewarding our customers simply for being with us, and so our MTN YelloBucks loyalty programme was introduced to drive value across our entire customer base – no matter the product a customer subscribes to,” says Mapula Bodibe MTN SA’s Chief Consumer Officer. “Everyone deserves the benefits of a modern connected life and all of our customers deserve the benefits…

Clickatell, a leader in mobile communications and chat commerce, has been selected by leading African retailer Pick n Pay, to manage their WhatsApp customer communication channel. Customers can easily access Pick n Pay services by sending “Hi” to +27 60 070 3037. The easy to navigate menu then allows shoppers to choose which action they want to perform. The Pick n Pay WhatsApp channel currently hosts catalogues, COVID-19 FAQs, store locator, Smart Shopper card services and other customer services options. This partnership between Pick n Pay and Clickatell enables customers to manage their Smart Shopper status and details via WhatsApp. This…

After falling from 50 to 43 in the third quarter, the RMB/BER Business Confidence Index (BCI) remained unchanged in the fourth quarter of 2021. The outcome could easily have been better were it not for a variety of special factors that kept sentiment subdued. Figure 1: RMB/BER Business Confidence Index Source: BER, SARB (Shaded areas represent economic downswings)    The fieldwork for the fourth quarter survey took place during the first two weeks of November (27 October to 15 November). It covered 1 300 senior executives in the building, manufacturing, retail as well as wholesale and motor trade sectors. Details The third…

Capitec has launched new simplified credit solutions that go beyond the confines of traditional credit. The bank’s needs-based credit solution gives consumers access to up to R250 000 for education, medical expenses, home improvement or vehicles at some of the country’s top brands with affordable interest rates from prime (7.25%). The industry-leading unsecured interest rates are made possible by linking the credit granted to responsible client needs or goals and paying the funds directly to the retailer or service provider. Initial partners include CTM, MediClinic, WeBuyCars and the higher education providers Henley, University of Stellenbosch, Boston and Stadio which includes Millpark and AFDA. “Clients expressed a need for credit to…

Patrice Motsepe-backed ARC Financial Services Holdings (ARC FSH) and Ethos Mid-Market Fund I buy South Africa’s innovative FinTech player Crossfin Technology. ARC Investments advised shareholders today that it is part of a consortium led by the Ethos Mid-Market Fund I, which has entered into agreements to buy 100% of Crossfin Technology and commits to providing acquisition and growth capital in a R1.5 billion transaction. ARC FSH is 50.1% owned by African Rainbow Capital Proprietary Limited and 49.9% owned by the ARC Fund, which is the vehicle holding the assets within ARC Investments, the listed entity. As part of the deal,…

MTN Group announced on Tuesday it had received approval from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to sell up to 575 million ordinary shares in MTN Nigeria. The sale of the shares will be done by way of a bookbuild to qualified investors (Institutional Offer) and a fixed price to retail investors (Retail Offer). The Institutional Offer opens on 23 November 2021 and closes at 15.00 SAST on 26 November 2021, after which a fixed price will be determined for the Retail Offer. The Retail Offer is proposed to open after the Institutional Offer, and an announcement will be published in this regard once clearance…

In a first for South Africa, TWK Investments (TWK), which recently listed on the Cape Town Stock Exchange (CTSE), will also list its shares for trade on A2X Markets. The collaboration between these two exchanges means that listed companies, for the first time, will be able to choose how to access both the retail and wholesale markets in South Africa. The business has been approved for secondary listing on A2X Markets and its shares will be available for trade on A2X from 30 November 2021. TWK retains its listing on the CTSE and its issued share capital will be unaffected…

Niantic, the developer of the world’s first and only planet-scale augmented reality platform like Pokémon GO, has bagged $300 million or R4.8 billion to build out its vision for the Real-World Metaverse. Coatue has made a $300 million investment in the company at a valuation of $9 billion. Niantic will also use the funds to invest in current games and new apps and expand the Lightship developer platform. “We’re building a future where the real world is overlaid with digital creations, entertainment and information, making it more magical, fun and informative,” said John Hanke, Niantic’s Founder and CEO. “This will…

Companies and businesses can now trade and exhibit their products and services virtually, thanks to a new app launched by the South African United Business Confederation (SAUBC). The SAUBC Virtual Trade City, a partnership with Africa Free Trade Agency (AFTA) and SMME Chamber of Commerce is a 3D online virtual trade environment that will all users to trade and exhibit virtually at any time of the day. In the trade city, businesses and companies will be able to host trade activation activities including trade shows, networking days, roundtable discussions and brand activation days. Launched as a mobile-friendly web-based application linking…