Author: Staff Writer
To play its part in reducing the impact of COVID-19 on customers,Nedbank says it will offer all clients “individual solutions to cashflow challenges”. The solutions will be available to clients in good standing who are impacted by this pandemic. “We undertake to work with our clients to help them through this period of enormous challenge for all South Africans,” the bank said in a statement. “This undertaking to work alongside and support our clients with suitable individual solutions to cashflow challenges they may experience as a result of COVID-19 extends to any loan agreement they have with us. “This support…
Call blocking by South Africa’s biggest network operators is negatively impacting many local telecoms customers who are finding they cannot always successfully complete phone calls. This is according to Anthony Engelbrecht, Technical Director at an independent telco, Huge Networks. He explains that some clients of SA’s many Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telecoms networks such as Huge Networks, Connection Telecoms and dozens of others are increasingly finding that calls they place are not reaching the intended telecoms user. VoIP operators are typically smaller telcos that came into being as the country’s telecoms landscape was liberalised in the 1990s. Their emergence…
The South African army could be deployed to patrol the streets in a bid to stop the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, according to a report in the Sunday Times. Health minister Zweli Mkhize told the newspaper that the government would gradually impose stricter measures as the virus spreads before the worse case of a national shutdown. “Right now it is restrictions. [We] might have to begin to bring in the army to go out and work around the people, talk to them about hygiene, getting them to go sanitise, and so on,” said Mkhize. It was announced yesterday that…
The time is past when tossing a single coin was already an added value. There are currently hundreds of coins and thousands of tokens in the world of cryptocurrencies, and therefore when a company wants to succeed it must offer not just one coin or one token, but an entire value proposition for an entire ecosystem. This is the case of the proposal that we bring today: Silk Road Coin by LGR Group. What do we understand by Silk Road? Before going in to talk in-depth, we must be clear about what we are talking about when we talk about…
Huawei Technologies has handed over a million rand donation to South Africa’s Department of Health, to support efforts to fight and contain the spread of the Covid-19 virus. Health Minister Dr. Zweli Mkhize who also received a further two million from the South Africa-China Economic and Trade Association, at the Chinese Embassy in Pretoria, says the money will be used for testing and managing the outbreak. The Minister hailed the donation as a very important mark of friendship, solidarity and partnership from Huawei and other Chinese businesses. He went on to say that there has been a huge amount of…
What do grocery shopping, performing a banking transaction, avoiding traffic congestion, booking a restaurant and hailing a ride all have in common? If this question was asked a little over a decade ago, the simple answer would have been a resolute “nothing”. After all, it was only in July 2008 that the entire mobile industry began to revolve around apps. Fast-forward to 2020, and now there is an app for almost anything and everything. With approximately six million apps available in the market today, consumers have uninterrupted access to a richer, hyper-connected experience. These apps have shaped the way we…
Zindi will host UmojaHack Africa, the first-ever pan-African inter-university machine learning hackathon, virtually due to coronavirus outbreak. The UmojaHack Africa competition which takes place on Saturday, 21 March 2020. Zindi will host the first-ever virtual inter-university artificial intelligence (AI) hackathon for students across Africa. Over 70 universities from 17 African countries, with an estimated 2500 students, have registered to participate in the hackathon taking place on Zindi’s online platform. “This level of collaboration and partnership across Africa is very exciting, and it is quite simple for students to join remotely through Zindi. The day’s activities will be live-streamed on our YouTube channel, from the launch…
Red Puppy, the latest South African, 100% black-owned online marketplace platform, today announced the launch of its website, with iOS and Android App to be launch by the end of March 2020. This addition to Red Puppy’s technology suite illustrates the startup’s initiative in bringing effective methods for delivering goods to South Africans. The platform features a variety of vendors displaying environmentally friendly products and will also be an advertising platform for services providers. The South African online shopping industry is a R10 billion market and stand to benefit from the Coronavirus pandemic. Global online giants such as Amazon and…
At Liquid Telecom, we believe that ‘every individual on the African continent has the right to be connected’. This enduring belief is guiding us as we respond to the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) outbreak. The health and safety of our people and those of our customers, suppliers and other business partners is paramount. We have implemented robust contingency planning across the business to protect the health of our people and those with whom we come into contact. This includes, but is not limited to, implementing the advice of the authorities, particularly the World Health Organisation and other reliable sources. Liquid Telecom’s focus…
MTN Group announced on Thursday that it has completed the sale of ATC joint ventures. Africa’s largest mobile phone operator sold ATC joint ventures for R8.9 billion. The sale is part of MTN’s asset realisation programme (ARP), introduced in March 2019, which aims to reduce debt, simplify its portfolio, reduce risk and improve returns. Subsequent to MTN Group’s announcement on 11 March 2020 reporting its 2019 annual results and the conclusion of the disposal of its stake in ATC Uganda for R2,2 billion, MTN confirms that regulatory approvals have now been received for the disposal of its stake in ATC…
In these uncertain times, only one thing is really certain, and that’s that every company and its dog wants to tell you what it’s doing in the wake of the Corona crisis. Yet amidst the benign platitudes, gloomy headlines and pervasive uncertainty, here’s some really, really good news: TymeBank, South Africa’s first digital bank, will honour their commitment to their customers and keep their interest rate unchanged at 10%. Worth noting is that TymeBank has taken this decision before the Reserve Bank makes its announcement later today and likely cuts the benchmark interest rate by a considerable amount. TymeBank’s bold…
As part of its efforts to continuously give consumers more than what they bargain for, Telkom has announced that it has revamped its FreeMe offerings. From 20 March 2020, new Telkom mobile customers will get a bit of everything on the New FreeMe plans. This means more benefits across all tariff plans and MORE Monate for everyone. Some of the new product offerings like all network calls and extra data for streaming will be available across all packages. “Customers are at the core of how we innovate and improve our product offering. Over the years, we have been able to…
SA Express has suspended its operations effective as of Wednesday as a result of the Coronavirus (COVID-19). “In light of adverse recent developments including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, SA Express announces that it will suspend operations from 18 March 2020 until further notice,” said the airline in a statement on Tuesday night. In light of the suspension, the airline will accommodate its customers on alternative flights. In addition, all non-critical SA Express staff will be placed on compulsory leave during this time. “The airline will utilise this period to review its current network and streamline operations for improved…
South Africa’s communications watchdog has temporarily suspended all public hearings, the regulator said on Wednesday. The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) said in a statement it was reviewing its day to day business to align itself accordingly in order to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. In view of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s address to the nation on Sunday, 15 March 2020, ICASA has activated the crisis management initiatives as required by the organisation’s Business Continuity Policy to ensure its preparedness to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. The following decisions have been taken in this regard: All public hearings have been…
South Africa is feeling the real impact of the rising numbers of the Covid-19 pandemic in both its communities and economy. The JSE is focused on ensuring the health and wellbeing of its people at all times. In line with World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines and national government, the JSE proactively implemented several precautionary measures to ensure that its employees are able to work safely and enable continuous trading in its capital markets. The JSE is of the view that the most prudent approach is to keep markets open to enable all market participants to conclude transactions in accordance with…
Staying informed about the latest news on the virus is the first step in stopping its spread. That’s why news outlets all over the world are dedicating entire news teams, segments and broadcast schedules keeping audiences up to date on every development. In South Africa, DStv has made a selection of channels available to all South Africans for free through DStv Now, the company said in a statement. DStv Now is the online version of DStv and it’s free to DStv subscribers. Watch on a smartphone, tablet, laptop, computer, smart TV or Xbox. In response to the COVID-19 situation, DStv Now has added…
South Africa’s Grindstone Accelerator announced on Tuesday it has concluded partnership agreements with Google for Startups and Deloitte to extend its reach. Grindstone confirmed Google for Startups as a technology partner in South Africa, where it will provide Google for Startups programmes to future Grindstone cohorts. Kevin O’Toole, Google’s Global Head of Accelerator Strategy, Operations, Partnerships and Programs, unpacked the opportunity: “The ‘Grindstone Google for Startups’ initiative will connect Grindstone to an elite group of the world’s top accelerators, allowing it to share information and leverage resources. Grindstone will be able to access Google’s global network, insights from the company’s…
The National Treasury will later this month kick off a consultative process on the taxation of electronic cigarettes from 2021. This comes after Finance Minister made the announcement in the 2020 Budget. In a statement, the Treasury said: “Government is concerned about the potential long term health harm related to the use of these products”. In recent years, new generation products such as electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) and electronic non-nicotine delivery systems (ENNDS) have been introduced in the market. The Treasury said these products, also known as electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), are battery-powered devices that do not burn or use…
Human Settlements Minister Lindiwe Sisulu says government will ask the banking sector and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research to help in finding ways of using technology to fast-track the issuing of title deeds. She said this when Ministers in the Social Services cluster fielded oral questions at the National Assembly on Wednesday. This comes as she told Members of Parliament that while the department – through its provincial and municipal offices – has issued just under 30 000 title deeds to date, more needs to be done to fast-track the delivery thereof. “To assist us to fast-track this, we…
Cisco was chosen as the preferred vendor by Liquid Telecom South Africa to replace its core network. The technological advancement enabled Liquid Telecom to advance into the next phase of automation and orchestration, allowing the company to respond to customer demand for extra bandwidth and vastly improved reliability. According to Reshaad Sha, CEO, Liquid Telecom South Africa, “This replacement cements our position as one of the most technologically advanced, modern and reliable networks on the African continent. Cisco’s equipment gives our network vertical scalability and is built future-ready”. The impact of this 100Gbps replacement has provided additional capacity within the…
The business rescue practitioners (BRPs) of South African Airways (SAA) have issued a notice advising employees of the intention to begin retrenchment consultations. In a statement, the BRPs said they have been engaging with SAA unions in relation to the process and the intention to begin the consultation process. “Our intention has always been to preserve as many jobs as possible through this process, while still focusing on having a sustainable airline and platform for growth,” said the business rescue practitioners on Monday. SAA has experienced numerous financial and business challenges, which resulted in losses of some R26 billion over…
The Ministry of Communications and Digital Technologies, together with the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa, (ICASA) have welcomed Vodacom’s settlement agreement on data prices. “Today’s announcement is an important milestone in our quest to ensure that data prices are affordable for the majority of South Africans as this is a key driver for the Fourth Industrial Revolution,” Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, said in a statement on Tuesday. Her remarks follow Vodacom’s announcement to cut its data bundle prices by more than 30% across all of its channels as of 1 April 2020. The mobile operator…
Vodacom will cut its data bundles prices by more than 30% across all of its channels as of 1 April 2020. “Vodacom has agreed to a multi-year substantial reduction of monthly data bundles across the board. For example, the key 1GB monthly data bundle will drop from R149 per 1 Gigabyte to no more that R99 (including Vat). This represents a 34% price decrease,” said Competition Commissioner Tembinkosi Bonakele. Bonakele, together with Minister of Trade and Industry, Ebrahim Patel and Vodacom group CEO Shameel Joosub, held a media briefing in Tshwane on Tuesday, to announce Vodacom’s settlement agreement on data…
Avon calls for an end to pejorative words and phrases used to silence women Campaign urges women to reclaim stereotyped language and be proud to speak out and share their stories Avon pledges $10 million to support women’s issues across the globe Avon, the company for women, has launched a campaign calling on men and women worldwide to #SpeakOut and put an end to pejorative words and phrases used to silence women. Launched ahead of International Women’s Day on March 8th, the campaign is in response to growing evidence of a gender divide, with the World Economic Forum’s 2020 report…
We are pleased to present to your attention LocalAgro, an International Agricultural Business Platform designed for local food market participants and equipped with a wide range of communication and search tools that provide a full range of services for business relations. The platform based on blockchain technologies and designed to simplify business processes and cut out the middlemen between the food producer and consumer. Food drives the world! Agriculture is an industry with a total volume of over 8.7 trillion dollars, and it is growing. If current population growth trends continue, by 2050, the demand for calories will increase by…