Author: Staff Writer
Cape Town-based IMPower has developed a market-leading medium-sized solution comprising of solar and energy storage technologies for the commercial & industrial market, which includes business parks, factories, shopping malls, schools and many others, providing reliable, affordable power. Energy storage technologies are viewed as a potential game-changer for widespread adoption of renewable energy generation throughout Africa. They facilitate the management of renewable power intermittency, demand response services and the dispatchability of stable, clean and sustainable power into the local or national grid system. “Our energy solution combining solar and energy storage provides a maximum benefit solution for the market, ensuring security…
Gameloft has partnered with MTN to create a unique subscription platform for millions of South African users. The platform is available for a fixed daily subscription fee, with a large catalogue of premium mobile games such as Asphalt Nitro, NOVA Legacy, PAC-MAN and Sonic Runners Adventure. MTN Arcade allows users to immerse themselves in a complete mobile gaming universe with hundreds of games of all genres with exclusive features such as tournaments and esports events, in one single environment. For the past 20 years, Gameloft has been working together with over 330 global distribution partners to bring its games to…
Sport, Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa has approved plans for the resumption of football. “The plans of the Premier Soccer League have been approved, considering the mitigation strategies and plans in relation to the level 3 risk adjusted strategy in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic,” the Ministry of Sport, Arts and Culture said on Wednesday. The plans have further been subject to analysis by health authorities and the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD), who have recommended that the measures put in place by the organisation meet and in some instances, exceed, the required protocol for a safe return to…
Mobile operators throughout South Africa are experiencing increased traffic as the coronavirus pandemic drives users online for information. According to online search data from Upstream’s Zero-D, during March and May this year, coronavirus accounted for 15% of all online searches nationwide. Interest in general health news also saw a dramatic increase, jumping from just 5.2% between December 2019 and February 2020, to 28.6% by May 2020, accounting for more than a quarter of all news content. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the top trending search query in South Africa was “How to get free data?” Since the outbreak, this has…
First National Bank (FNB) has been voted as the best digital bank in the 2020 SITEisfaction survey. The bank dominated overall customer satisfaction metrics on both the Best Mobile Banking and Best Internet Banking categories. Conducted for 9 consecutive years, the survey benchmarks internet banking, app and customer experience against that of competitors as well as against previous years’ performance. “Our consistent approach to digital banking has provided customers with an innovative, contextual and an agile banking experience. Our banking processes have evolved to one that can operate through challenging market conditions with changing consumer perceptions, sentiment and dynamics,” says…
Seven weeks after the initial announcement of the company’s plans to provide a temporary medical facility for COVID-19 patients, Volkswagen Group South Africa (VWSA) today handed over the first phase of this project to the Eastern Cape Department of Health. VWSA announced on 5 May that they would make their former Port Elizabeth plant, situated in Neave, available as an overflow facility to provide care for those diagnosed with COVID-19. With funding from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), VWSA has since completed the first phase of equipping this facility, which can now accommodate 1 485…
Stellenbosch-based FinTech startup Paymenow today announced it has been accepted into Catalyst Fund, the global inclusive fintech accelerator managed by BFA Global, supported by UK aid and JPMorgan Chase & Co. and fiscally sponsored by Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors. Paymenow’s participation in the seventh cohort of the Catalyst Fund acceleration programme provides the company with £80,000 in grant capital, bespoke and expert-led venture building support for six months and 1:1 connections with investors and corporate innovators that can help them scale. Paymenow offers financial inclusivity through a responsible early access to wages platform, enabled via a secure mobile app, developed specifically…
The Departments of Basic Education and Health are working together to support 204 learners and hostel assistants who have contracted Coronavirus at Makaula Senior Secondary School in KwaBhaca, Eastern Cape. The Department of Basic Education said a team of doctors and tracers has since been sent to attend to the school. Meanwhile, the department is also lending a helping hand to educators and parents who are affected by the incident. As of Monday, COVID-19 infections are now sitting at 101 590 in the country and the Eastern Cape is the third most hardest-hit province with 16 895 cases. According to…
The first participants in South Africa’s first clinical trial for a vaccine against COVID-19 will be vaccinated this week. The first clinical trial in South Africa and on the continent for a COVID-19 vaccine was announced on Tuesday during a virtual press conference hosted by the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (Wits). The South African Ox1Cov-19 Vaccine VIDA-Trial aims to find a vaccine that will prevent infection by SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. In South Africa, over 100 000 people have been diagnosed with COVID-19 since March when President Cyril Ramaphosa declared a national state of disaster and lockdown.…
We are the only Registered Satanic Organisation in South Africa, Rev. Riaan Swiegelaar, the cofounder of the first South African Satanic Church, wrote in a church blog. “I sincerely believe we will see more ones rising in the near future.” Swiegelaar co-founded the South African Satanic Church with T/Dr Adri Norton. The South African Satanic Church was launched in February 2020. The Church in South Africa is located in Century City in Cape Town. “It is in the creation of this next step of Satanism in South Africa that I hope to fulfil the need for information and assist in…