Author: Staff Writer

South Africa has continued to suffer adversely as a result of COVID-19, with the number of new cases having increased of late and the country currently recording the highest death rate on the continent (there have been 5,033 fatalities to date). This is continuing to take a socio-economic toll on the nation’s economy, which is expected to shrink by 6.9% in 2020 according to the S&P Global Ratings. The government is looking to combat this loss with a number of planned policy changes, as it looks to optimise growth potential in the near and medium-term. We’ll break these down below,…

Microgrid and off-grid home solar systems are being rapidly deployed in Africa, where power utilities have failed to keep up with demand. Many Africans are still without electricity or still struggling to access electricity, especially in rural communities. The only solution to this is by introducing microgrid energy. While South Africa has the highest electricity consumption in the sub-Sahara region, the demand continues to outpace the installation of generation capacity. Africa is rich in renewable energy sources which remain the most economical approach to powering microgrids. However, the development of micro-grids faces several barriers that must be unpacked. “Energy poverty…

General Electric (GE) announced on Monday that it has appointed Nyimpini Mabunda as the CEO for Southern Africa. In this role, Nyimpini will lead GE’s growth in the region and drive alignment across its Power, Healthcare, Aviation and Renewable Energy businesses. He will also drive GE’s BBBEE roadmap and processes in South Africa. Nyimpini holds a bachelor’s degree in Social Science, a Post Graduate Diploma in Marketing Management and an MBA from the University of Cape Town. His successes have been underpinned by his talent in people leadership, business turnaround, stakeholder management, digital disruption, execution excellence, and building strong brands. “I…

Harken Holdings, a business builder in South Africa, which owns brands such as Moneypanda.co.za, Insurehero.co.za, Jackmarx.co.za has launched fomo, it’s first app in the hospitality vertical. South Africa’s first food specials and events app launched this month as a tool to help both consumers find specials in their area, as well as restaurants, expand their reach outside of traditional instore and own social media marketing. Ryan Marx and Jacqueline du Plessis, co-founders of Harken Holdings and MoneyPanda, launched the app out of their own need to see up-to-date events and specials that are happening in their area. South Africa and…

rain, South Africa’s data-only mobile network launched its first Standalone 5G network in the country. Powered by Huawei, this is the first commercial standalone 5G network in Africa, and among a few networks of its kind globally. rain’s Standalone 5G is currently available in Cape Town covering areas including Sea Point in Cape Town, Claremont, Goodwood, Bellville, Durbanville, and Cape Town City Centre. The newly released Standalone 5G network are built on rain’s own sites. This allows rain to significantly enhance its fixed wireless broadband (FWA) service experience in the covered areas. “Standalone 5G will further improve 5G network performance…

IMPower is proud to announce a name change as the company was formerly known as All Power Systems. The name change will be effective from 3rd of February 2020. The name change came as a result of a name clash with a South African-based firm that had a very similar name and offered similar solutions. Founded in 2014, IMPower Pty Ltd is a leading engineering, procurement and project management contractor (EPCM) operating in the solar and energy storage industry. The company is focusing more on providing Solar Rooftop/Ground Mount Solutions (Grid-Tied), Micro-Grid/Storage Solutions, Energy Management & Reporting as well as…

South Africa’s five teacher unions are calling for the immediate closure of schools as coronavirus infections spike. The Sunday Times reported that five of SA’s teacher unions are unanimous in their support for the immediate closure of schools, but school governing body associations are divided, in what amounts to a stand-off between rich and poor. Twenty-two teachers have died of Covid-19 complications in the Western Cape, 12 in KwaZulu-Natal and eight in the Eastern Cape. Other provinces did not respond to inquiries by the Sunday Times. Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga met with the unions on Friday after meeting governing body…

Onde, a tech company powering over 200 ride-hailing companies in 70 countries, announces an online edition of Ride.Right.Now – a conference for ride-hailing entrepreneurs. This year’s topic is Hack the Crisis: Business Tips for Post-covid Era. The online event is to happen on July 23, 2020. The event will gather ride-hailing entrepreneurs, stakeholders, and experts from around the globe. Speakers will share insights and best cases on how to survive the crisis that has hit the mobility industry. Registration is free of charge. Ride.Right.Now will feature talks with mobility and innovation trend-watchers, discussions of the opportunities emerging as the world…

Refinitiv today released a 2020 first-half investment banking analysis for sub-Saharan Africa. According to the report, investment banking fees in Sub-Saharan Africa reached an estimated US$64.5 million during the second quarter of 2020, half the value recorded during the first quarter of 2020 and the lowest quarterly total since Q1 2012. Around US$196.1 million worth of fees were earned in the region during the first half of 2020, down 27% from last year and a six-year low with fee declines recorded across M&A advisory, debt capital markets underwriting, and syndicated lending. Debt capital markets underwriting fees declined 45% to US$26.2…

There is reason for “cautious optimism” when it comes to the used car market in South Africa. That’s according to George Mienie, CEO of AutoTrader, who points to a number of positive trends in this sector of the automotive industry. “Prices have begun to increase – albeit slightly – while cars are also selling faster than experienced earlier this year. Both of these factors bode well for the used car market,” he notes. His statements are based on AutoTrader’s Used Car Rate of Sale (ROS) indicator, which has just been released for the period ending June 2020. As the largest…