Author: Staff Writer

The BMW i Vision Circular concept is the German carmakers’ idea of an electric compact car in 2040, geared toward reducing components and using recycled material. The German carmaker said the four-seater is fully electrically powered and offers a generous amount of interior space within its around four-metre-long footprint. It has furthermore been designed according to circular economy principles across the board and therefore symbolises the BMW Group’s ambitious plan to become the world’s most sustainable manufacturer in the individual premium mobility space. The Vision Vehicle is one of five different concept vehicles with which the BMW Group is presenting how…

The Transport Sector Retirement Fund (TSRF) was the first institutional investor in Heritage Capital, a 100% black women-owned and managed private equity firm. Heritage Capital was established in 2015 and is managed by passionate and highly skilled business partners Philile Maphumulo and Xolisile Ntanzi. The private equity firm has more than R300 million in assets under management. In 2017, TSRF committed R100 million into Heritage Capital’s maiden fund as an initial investment. An additional R50 million was later committed in 2019 to Heritage Capital to increase the investment to R150m.  “We are very proud they are doing well under difficult circumstances,” said…

The Transport Sector Retirement Fund (TSRF) has a bold vision for its first integrated and sustainable township investment. The TSRF plans to build a new township that would bring development, economic upliftment, a better life for all, and growth in the fund’s assets. Construction of the new R2.7 billion township, known as Lethabong, will restore dignity to the people of the Vaal through building decent houses. The new township is being built in Sebokeng near the industrial cities of Vanderbijlpark and Vereeniging. A South African National Treasury report shows city performances were being held back by various structural constraints. These…

Avon Justine has launched an attractive and compelling performance-based rewards programme that seeks to enhance women’s earning opportunities, and ensure that they reap the benefits of the growth of the beauty and cosmetics industry. Avon Justine has benchmarked its new rewards programme against that of peers. The programme has been designed to give its army of Sales Representatives a competitive edge, as well as reward them for their loyalty to the brand. “We are excited to introduce the new Avon Justine Rewards programme’s which have been designed to reflect how much we value our relationship with our Sales Representatives and…

Mercedes-Benz has unveiled a new Mercedes-Maybach EQS concept, a luxurious all-electric SUV based on the modular architecture for luxury- and executive-class electric vehicles. The German automaker said that with the Concept EQS, Mercedes-Maybach is providing a clear preview of the first fully electric series-production model for the tradition-steeped luxury brand. This concept car takes the exclusivity of Maybach into a locally emission-free future. The near-production one-off shows identifying features that are characteristic of Maybach – such as the elaborate two-tone paint finish – but with its innovative drive technology, also takes a step towards a significantly more progressive way of…

Huawei recently launched its most stunning SuperCamera phone, the HUAWEI nova 8, in South Africa. The HUAWEI nova 8 is packed with a gorgeous display, a versatile quad-camera and an advanced processor for users to enjoy the most out of content viewing, capturing and sharing. The long battery life and fast charging support gives users peace of mind throughout the day and night. Huawei’s newest nova 8, which was launched last week on 26 August at The Galleria, raises the smartphone experience with a bold design, advanced camera capabilities and productivity-boosting features that have raised a lot of attention. Huawei…

Africa’s leading carrier-neutral co-location data centre provider, Africa Data Centres, has announced plans to build large hyperscale data centres throughout Africa, including the North African countries of Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt. The project will involve building 10 hyperscale data centres, in 10 countries, over the next two years – at a cost of more than $500 million or R7.2  billion. It is being funded through new equity and facilities from leading development finance institutions and multilateral organisations. Africa Data Centres CEO, Mr Stephane Duproz, explains that the finance for the roll-out has been provided by equity and loans to Africa Data…

As part of its commitment to enhancing South Africa’s educational and technological spheres, Exxaro Resources today announced a partnership with the University of Pretoria to establish the first-ever Exxaro Chair in Extended Reality (XR) Technology. Extended Reality technology refers to all real-and-virtual combined environments and human-machine interactions generated by computer technology, including augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR) and virtual reality (VR). Through this partnership, the Exxaro Chair in XR Technology will offer a framework firstly on how the XR technology can be used to address mining industry challenges, and secondly on identifying the best available technologies for…

Franc is an investment app that was founded with a clear vision – to democratise investing in South Africa. It provides simple, easy accessibility to the money market and stock market via one’s mobile phone. It has fast become a loved and trusted local household name, growing 5x in registered users in the last year and a 24x in investors since being launched publicly in September 2019. What makes Franc stand out is how simple it is to use. They don’t try to confuse you with financial lingo, but rather genuinely help you feel empowered and in control of your…

Albert Einstein once said of problems; “If I had an hour to solve a problem, I’d spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and five minutes thinking about solutions.” He would later add, “We cannot solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them”. Einstein might not have realised it at the time but his comments are the foundation of the field of data science today – i.e. thoroughly interrogate the problem and then think about solving it in new and innovative ways. “In the modern era, we have the ability to support human ingenuity with smart…