Author: Staff Writer
African private sector has a major part to play in supporting governments to defeat COVID-19 in Africa. That is one of the main messages from an emergency session of the UNDP Regional Bureau for Africa’s partnership initiative, African Influencers for Development (AI4Dev). Some of Africa’s top business leaders joined UNDP Africa to focus on the actions needed for a coordinated continent-wide response to the COVID-19 crisis. The AI4Dev initiative is at the heart of UNDP’s new partnership strategy for Africa, engaging with African champions who are already working to drive sustainable development across the continent. It is a powerful coalition…
The Solidarity Fund has started delivering food parcels to more than 250 000 families across South Africa. The Solidarity Fund, which receives donations from corporates, citizens and foundations, has made R120 million available for food relief for distressed families. The Fund is working with the Department of Social Development (DSD), four major non-profit organisations (NPOs) in the food security sector, and with faith and community-based organisations across the country to ensure maximum reach, especially in rural areas. The Fund will act as a coordinator for the distribution efforts to maximise reach and scale. Interim Chief Executive Officer of the Solidarity…
The Department of Basic Education (DBE) has postponed the May/June amended Senior Certificate and National Senior Certificate Examination due to the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 350 000 part-time candidates were to sit for the matric examination. Those who were meant to sit for the exams include candidates who did not meet the pass requirements in the 2019 final exams, as well as those who sought to rewrite to improve their marks. DBE Director-General Mathanzima Mweli wrote a letter to the heads of the provincial Education Departments, confirming the changes to the plan for the examinations. The outbreak of COVID-19 led…
The Presidency says it has declined the request of the Gauteng Liquor Forum for its members to sell alcohol during the declared National State of Disaster and lockdown. “The restriction on the sale of liquor will remain,” said the Presidency on Friday. The decision was communicated to the forum’s attorneys on Friday via the offices of the State Attorney. “The President [Cyril Ramaphosa] and government as a whole remain committed to financially supporting businesses in distress during this period. The President has carefully considered the representations made by the Gauteng Liquor Forum. “These, however, have had to be weighed up…
South Africa has confirmed a total of 2 783 COVID-19 cases, having conducted 100 827 tests to date. Gauteng has the highest number of cases with 1 018 people testing positive for the virus, followed by the Western Cape at 717 cases, KwaZulu-Natal at 591 cases, Eastern Cape at 246 cases, Free State at 100 cases, Limpopo has 26 cases, the North West has 24 cases, Mpumalanga has 23 cases and the Northern Cape has 16 cases. There are 22 unallocated cases. “Today we regrettably report two new COVID-19 related deaths. Both deceased are from the Western Cape,” Minister of…
The JSE inaugural #Trade4Solidarity campaign has raised R34.4 million to be donated to the Solidarity Fund. The #Trade4Solidarity campaign was held over two days on Wednesday and Thursday this week, all revenues that the bourse earned across all asset classes were donated to the Solidarity Fund. The fundraising effort was launched in response to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s appeal to the country for donations to the Solidarity Fund. The Solidarity Fund is a special vehicle set up to help government and civil society fund South Africa’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and to prevent further transmission and support those affected by it. JSE…
Vodacom has welcomed ICASA’s approval of its application for temporary spectrum in all of the 700, 800, 2300, 2600 and 3500 bands. In addition to the accelerated R500 million in network infrastructure investment announced on Wednesday by Vodacom, the mobile phone operator said the temporary assignment of the spectrum will help alleviate network congestion during the COVID-19 lockdown in South Africa. In recent weeks, mobile network traffic has increased by circa 40% as more people work from home and turn to online services for entertainment. This additional spectrum will be made available from the date which the temporary license is…
The Pan African Chamber of Commerce, today, announced the appointment of Phumza Dyani as Chief Innovation Officer and leader for the Africa Innovation Centre. Dyani’s appointment is effective today. Currently, the chief marketing & sales officer for Broadband Infraco, Dyani will be part of the digital economy and digital inclusion committee which seeks to bring together innovators, leading thinkers and actors from industry, Government, Academia and Non-Governmental Organisations, to advise African Governments through the AU and other regional economic communities on how to best meet their objectives to build the digital economy and eliminate digital divides. As Chief Innovation Officer…
As the country takes steps to address the fight against the spread of COVID-19, BMW South Africa is stepping up to help the cause. Last week, the company responded the call for help from the Gauteng Department of Health for donations of face masks and other protective gear for emergency services personnel. Recently the company handed over 40 000 high-quality protective respiratory (FFP2) face masks to the department in order to help protect health services workers. Many essential services use BMW vehicles and it is critical to the success of the national lockdown that these people remain mobile. 15 BMW…
Two South African entrepreneurs have developed a ground-breaking testing kit that promises to significantly speed up the process of identifying positive COVID-19 cases. Allan Gray Orbis Foundation Fellows Daniel Ndima and Dineo Lioma have developed a testing kit that provides results in just 65 minutes, through their company CapeBio. Testing is a pillar of any campaign against coronavirus, not only because it identifies infected individuals but because it also provides an idea of how the virus may be developing within the country. Once scientists potentially understand its spread, the government can plan resources accordingly. This is why the qCPR kits…
MTN has been crowned the most valuable telecom brand in Africa, as the “Everywhere You Go” brand continues to deliver solid overall performance for the year, despite challenging economic conditions and regulatory challenges in some markets. In a recent annual report by Brand Finance, a leading independent brand valuation consultancy recognised MTN for its focus on customers and providing a high-quality service across all its markets. “Amid these unprecedented times in fighting a global pandemic, MTN Group is humbled by the Brand Finance recognition and our progress in rising through the ranks of this year’s Telecoms 150 report,” said MTN…
Investec Group CEO Fani Titi is among the top four executives of its South African business who, along with the chairmen of the Investec Group and the South African bank boards, are donating part of their compensation to honour the example set by President Cyril Ramaphosa and his government in helping to mitigate the effects of COVID-19. “Investec is very conscious of the extreme pressure that individuals, businesses and industries are under as a direct consequence of COVID-19. We are inspired by those on the frontlines and by the overwhelming sense of generosity of South Africans,” said Titi. Along with…
The JSE’s Board of Directors and the Group Chief Executive Officer have pledged as much as 30% of their earnings to the Solidarity Fund for the next three months. Members of the JSE Executive will also be making contributions. The JSE pledge was announced as the bourse completed the second day of its two-day #Trade4Soldarity campaign. The fundraising will include all fees earned from trades across all asset classes by the JSE and market participants on Wednesday 15 April and Thursday 16 April. The fundraising effort was launched in response to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s appeal to the country for donations…
The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) has assigned an emergency temporary spectrum to telecommunications operators to ensure connectivity for all during the National State of Disaster period. The Authority has considered applications for temporary radio frequency spectrum assignments in the 700MHz, 800MHz, 2300MHz, 2600MHz and 3500MHz bands, including the use of Television Whitespaces (TVWS) in an effort to ensure connectivity for all during the National State of Disaster period. “Of all applications received, only seventeen (17) were found to be in line with the criteria and conditions outlined in Annexure A of the Regulations which, among others, required…
South Africa has 2 605 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with Limpopo and the Eastern Cape recording their first deaths. “It is with regret that we inform the public that the COVID-19 related deaths is now 48. “We note that two provinces, Limpopo and the Eastern Cape, have also recorded their first deaths. We convey our condolences to the families. “We continue to speak strength and appreciate our dedicated health workers, who are faced with these circumstances daily,” said the Health Department on Thursday. The number of tests being conducted continues to rise, with the total number of tests conducted to date being…
Work is underway to prepare Gauteng’s public health infrastructure for the period when the COVID-19 pandemic may peak. With Gauteng as the country’s epicentre, with 930 of the 2 506 confirmed cases, the province has cleared some of its existing hospitals and declared them COVID-19 facilities. “This has helped us to make available 555 standard beds and 308 ICU beds. We are also putting up new permanent wards in Kopanong, Jubilee, Chris Hani Baragwanath and George Mukhari Hospitals. This will add 800 new beds, which will be used for different purposes. “This intervention will help speed-up our existing plans to…
The National Credit Regulator (NCR) has urged consumers to be careful of fake credit provider scams, as South Africa continues the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. “The NCR is warning consumers to be careful of scammers who act as legitimate credit providers, preying on vulnerable consumers during this period of COVID-19 pandemic. The impact of this pandemic has unfortunately left many consumers desperate for money with some having to resort to borrowing,” said the NCR Chief Executive Officer, Nomsa Motshegare. She said criminals have spotted an opportunity to exploit vulnerable people by posing as legitimate registered credit providers and offering loans…
South Africa’s parliament will resume its business with immediate effect after the Presiding Officers announced on Thursday that the leave period for Members of Parliament has been cancelled. This follows the suspension of the programme of Parliament’s two Houses last month, as a precautionary measure to curb COVID-19 by drastically limiting the numbers of people at the precincts in Cape Town and at off-site parliamentary activities. Briefing the media on the resumption of the business of Parliament on Thursday, Parliament Presiding Officers — National Assembly Speaker Thandi Modise and National Council of Provinces (NCOP) Chairperson, Amos Masondo — noted that…
If you are stuck at home with a burst pipe, you can now call your plumber to come to fix it. This is just one of the changes made to regulations governing the extended COVID-19 lockdown. The announcement was made by the Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Minister, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, who was addressing the country on Thursday. “Today, we’re not coming with many new regulations. We’re extending the regulations that exist because the lockdown was extended,” she explained. This comes after President Ramaphosa extended the 21-day lockdown until the end of April to contain the spread of the…
Government has begun the process of bringing certain industries on stream in an orderly manner, including that of mining, in a phased approach to easing the nationwide COVID-19 lockdown. To this effect, government has amended the Disaster Management Regulations governing the lockdown to include a number of industries as essential trade. Through this amendment, certain sectors will return to operation under strictly controlled conditions. “I am confident that these amendments initiates and lay the foundation for the risk-adjusted measures the President announced last week. In the coming days, the proposals already made by various stakeholders will be considered in our planning…
Work continues to map South Africa’s future – with Cabinet asking all clusters to work together to produce one consolidated document on key priorities regarding the country’s economic recovery plan that will used post the COVID-19 national lockdown. The call was made during a virtual Special Cabinet Meeting held on Wednesday to discuss the socio-economic recovery plan, post the COVID-19 national lockdown. This follows the announcement made by President Cyril Ramaphosa two weeks ago, that Cabinet have a full discussion to come up with an economic recovery plan for the country. During the meeting, five presentations were received from the…
How long has it been since you drove your car? For many South Africans during this lockdown, the car has mostly been used to go to the shop to buy groceries. Momentum Short-term Insurance (MSTI) will offer car insurance rebates to customers because fewer motorists are on the road as a result of the coronavirus outbreak. The insurer said in a statement on Thursday that it realises that clients are less exposed to vehicle accident risk during the national lockdown as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and have therefore implemented additional measures to provide financial relief. “We acknowledge that the…
As the impacts of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) begin to take their toll on South African citizens, Vodacom has partnered with the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) to zero-rate its uFiling website. The Vodafone owned company said in a statement that this will give employers and employees who have been affected by the COVID-19 lock down the ability to get information about the UIF and/or apply for UIF benefits, including the COVID-19 TERS Benefit – without incurring any charges for doing so on the Vodacom network. The UIF recently announced that it had committed R10 billion for payouts this financial year to deal…
The number of COVID-19 related deaths have risen to 34 in South Africa, with infections now at 2 506. This comes after Health Minister Dr. Zweli Mkhize on Wednesday confirmed seven more deaths. Mkhize confirmed the increase during a press briefing in which government received much-needed personal protective equipment from Multichoice, Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs. Confirmed cases overnight rose to 2 506 from the 90 515 cases since the country began conducting tests. Gauteng continues to have the highest number of infections at 930. The province is followed by the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal with 657 and 519, respectively.…
Government has set-up a hi-tech monitoring and evaluation platform in an effort to ramp up state capacity to monitor and respond to misinformation and fake news proliferating during the COVID-19 outbreak. In a statement, acting Communication Minister Jackson Mthembu said the intervention is being put in place to assess complaints and reports from the media, the public and other sectors of society. The platform has the ability to take down fake news items on a range of platforms and submit cases to the SAPS for investigation and prosecution. This solution is a unique collaboration between the Department, the Government Communication…