Author: Staff Writer

The Joint Standing Committee on Defence has unanimously supported the employment of additional members of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) to assist government’s intervention in the fight against COVID-19. On Thursday, the committee considered a number of letters from President Cyril Ramaphosa on the employment of the SANDF. The President is compelled — in terms Section 201 (3) of the Constitution and Section 18 (2) of the Defence Act (No 42 of 2002) — to inform Parliament regarding the reasons, place, number of soldiers, cost involved, as well as the period of employment – to which Parliament must…

Police Minister Bheki Cele has expressed concern at a large number of public officials arrested for violating COVID-19 regulations. Cele, during a visit to KwaZulu-Natal on Wednesday to assess adherence to the National State of Disaster regulations, revealed that 131 officials have been arrested since last month. Those arrested include security forces, government officials and councillors. Among them were two Sergeants from Katlehong, Gauteng, who were arrested after allegedly demanding a bribe from a businessman, who had contravened the lockdown regulations on Monday. Cele said the two allegedly promised the businessman that they would destroy the docket in exchange for…

The International Women’s Forum of South Africa (IWFSA) has praised President Cyril Ramaphosa’s R500-billion economic stimulus and recovery plan, saying it will help beleaguered communities, particularly the youth, women and small businesses, as the coronavirus continues to wreak havoc on the world’s people and economies. “We are pleased that this package – the biggest economic rescue package in our nation’s modern history, is a product of input from all partners, including government, business sector, labour and civil society,” said Irene Charnley, President of IWFSA. “It is especially important to note that the package is focussed on addressing the pressing needs…

To save small businesses and support government funding for Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs), a group of South African entrepreneurs, funders and small business experts have banded together to launch Save Your Local. Save Your Local is a non-profit online aggregator that connects small businesses with their communities and customers by giving them access to a variety of voucher and donation platforms. Incepted just 10 days ago, Save Your Local aims to support small businesses by sustaining cash flow and averting business closures due to COVID-19. This is being achieved by providing online income-generating opportunities for businesses currently unable…

Amazon Web Services (AWS), an Amazon.com, today announced the opening of the AWS Africa (Cape Town) Region. With this launch, AWS now spans 73 Availability Zones within 23 geographic regions around the world and has announced plans for 12 more Availability Zones across four more AWS Regions in Indonesia, Italy, Japan, and Spain. Starting today, developers, startups, and enterprises, as well as government, education, and non-profit organisations can run their applications and serve end-users in Africa with even lower latency and leverage advanced AWS technologies to drive innovation. “The cloud is positively transforming lives and businesses across Africa and we…

As the country continues to battle the impact of COVID-19, the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) applauds President Ramaphosa’s fiscal stimulus to the economy. The JSE believes that the well-timed announcement balances South Africa’s fiscal challenges with the need for stimulation and growth in the economy. The government’s R500 billion stimulus package is a clear indication of government’s commitment to stimulating the economy whilst prioritising the fight against COVID-19. For more read: SA President Ramaphosa Announces R500-bn Stimulus Package The JSE believes that the additional measures mentioned in the stimulus package will be constructive in enhancing both consumer and business confidence…

South Africa’s confirmed COVID-19 cases now stands at 3 465 as of Tuesday. The total number of tests conducted are 126 937 of which 5 427 were done in the last 24 hours. The provincial breakdown is as follows: Gauteng                       1199 Western Cape              1010 KwaZulu-Natal               671 Eastern Cape                 345 Free State                      106 Limpopo                          27 North West                      24 Mpumalanga                  …

DHL Global Forwarding has launched a dedicated 100-tonne weekly air freight service for organizations and governments shipping goods from China to Africa and the Middle East. Capitalizing on Dubai’s strategic geographical location as the gateway to countries in the region, the leading international provider of air, sea and road freight services will consolidate cargo from across China into Guangzhou and air freight them via Dubai to their various destinations across Africa and the Middle East, all within two or three days. “DHL Global Forwarding is bolstering logistics support to our customers in the region who need to ensure stable supply…

Pick n Pay has launched digital grocery vouchers – a safe and easy way to make sure someone you care for has access to essential items. It can also serve as a surprise to let someone know that you are thinking of them. Available through Webtickets or at any Pick n Pay Money counter, this new offering will provide a convenient way to purchase and send digital grocery vouchers. Vouchers will be available from R50 up to R1 000 and once purchased, customers can simply send the digital grocery voucher to anyone via SMS or email. The digital grocery vouchers can…

We have received numerous calls and emails from our readers asking questions about how Covi-ID app works. Yesterday, we published an article titled: Coronavirus: New App Tracks COVID-19 and Ends Need for Lockdown The app, Covi-ID, employs QR code scanning to track and trace our citizens’ health status. It operates on blockchain technology in order to ensure the privacy of all users information, offering a decentralised solution. One of the unique selling points is that even those without access to a smartphone can benefit and make use of Covi-ID. We have below an article written by Associate Professor Co-Pierre Georg…