Author: Staff Writer

SANEDI (South African National Energy Development Institute) and the Mineworkers Development Agency (MDA) have signed a partnership agreement to bring relief to the country’s former mineworkers and their communities. The relief comes in the wake of mine closures and the ever-growing prevalence of mining “ghost towns” and other poverty-stricken areas. This partnership is offering immediate COVID-19 support to 200 identified needy families, worst affected by the pandemic in mining communities in the Free State and the North West provinces. SANEDI and MDA will be providing packages that include portable LPG stove systems with a number of LPG refill vouchers to…

The latest unemployment statistics released by Stats SA paint an ominous and gloomy picture for millions of female headed households who are facing the depressing prospects of impoverishment due to loss of income. In addition to being already disadvantaged in the labour market, women accounted for a disproportionate share of job losses resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and made up 2 of the three million people who lost their jobs at the beginning of the year. Global beauty and personal care company Avon has stepped in to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 job losses by offering prospective Sales Representatives who…

Electricity continues to be a huge problem in our country during the pandemic, where further load shedding is being experienced due to cable theft. This not only impacts the residential sector but also both commercial and industrial power users. A solution to alleviate the lack of security of supply is by installing solar panels and batteries at businesses or households, especially at essential services such as hospitals where power is needed the most.  Given the impact of the pandemic, hospitals need constant power to ensure patient’s care. Solar panels coupled with a battery storage solution provides a good alternative for…

Despite the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic and the need to minimise social gatherings to curb the spread of the virus, beauty and personal care company Avon Justine will once again partner with non-governmental organisations to host the first-ever virtual national walkathon on 31 October this year to raise funds for breast cancer awareness and education. This first-ever national and bREis the 15th edition of iThemba Walkathon that Avon Justine and its non-governmental partners host each year to raise funds for breast cancer awareness and education. Safety and the need to minimise social gatherings is a primary concern this year, hence…

South African tech startups are making it big in global markets as they expand their solutions. Explore, a South African data science startup, wants to position itself as a global player in data science over the next five years. In early 2019, Explore AI, Explore’s consulting arm, was appointed by Thames Water to deliver the analytics involved in monitoring the water levels of over 150 000 kilometres of water, waste and collection piping. The information will enable the utility to pre-empt blockages that result from flooding or pollution. Thames Water supplies over 15 million customers within London and the greater…

Pricing for a new Jaguar F-TYPE ready to seduce South Africa has been revealed. Available in both Coupé and Convertible form, the two-seat sports car has evolved from its World Car Design-winning predecessor’s form with new super-slim pixel LED headlights featuring subtly revised ‘Calligraphy’ J signature daytime running lights. Three engine options are available to South African customers, starting with a 221kW/400Nm Ingenium 2.0-litre 4-cylinder P300. This model dashes from 0-100km/h in 5.7 seconds and on to a top speed of 250km/h, with an average combined fuel consumption of 7.2l/100km. An ever-popular supercharged 3.0-litre V6 P380 with 280kW and 460Nm…

Communications Minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams has picked a fight with the SA Post Office (SAPO). At the centre of the battle is the payment of the R350 COVID-19 relief grants, according to the City Press report. The newspaper said the SAPO board does not want the organisation to be involved in the distribution of the R350 COVID-19 grants. However, Ndabeni-Abrahams is in favour of the SAPO paying and distributing the R350 COVID-19 grants. SA Post Office spokesperson Bongani Diako dismissed the alleged rift between Ndabeni-Abrahams and the SAPO board as non-existent. “All the allegations by faceless individuals are denied and dismissed…

World Cup-winning Springbok star, Bryan Habana, has announced the first two months of traction achieved with his award-winning creative team’s MatchKit.co, an innovative platform that gives athletes a ground-breaking solution for commercialising their digital brand. The two-month milestone also comes with the announcement of a ground-breaking partnership with the JVW Football Club (JVW FC), owned by Banyana Banyana Captain, Janine van Wyk. JVW FC focuses on the development of female football players and along with Matchkit.co, gives the athletes the platform to reach higher levels in the sport. Van Wyk says the partnership will continue to elevate the status of her developing athletes: “I am so glad…

President Cyril Ramaphosa has urged the Presidential Commission on the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) to place 4IR at the centre of South Africa’s economic recovery. This is to enable the country to emerge from the damaging impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. “South Africa must be a more technologically driven country that finds solutions that move us forward, with 4IR as a pivot for economic recovery,” said President Ramaphosa. The President said digital transformation has to be harnessed “to change the way we live, learn, work and govern.” President Ramaphosa made the remarks, when he received the recommendations contained in the…

Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) today announced that it will improve the delivery of a fully blended and  fully online learning experience to more than 64 000 students. Despite previously working with another learning provider for more than 23 years, TUT wanted to improve the quality of learning content delivery and increase its options for blended and fully online learning. This is underpinned by an ambitious strategy that will see the university adopt digital and smart technologies to enhance student-learning experiences, facilitate knowledge creation, increase engagement, and accelerate technology transfer. In the long term, TUT’s objective is to become South Africa’s first truly…