Author: Staff Writer
South Africa’s financial regulators today launched the Intergovernmental FinTech Working Group (IFWG) Innovation Hub to respond to changes in the financial sector driven by financial technology (FinTech) and to promote responsible innovation in the sector. The Innovation Hub is intended to support the sector in introducing innovations that complement the core mandates of regulators, including financial stability and soundness; consumer protection; financial inclusion; and fair lending practices. FinTech innovation leverages technology to address inefficiencies and other challenges in the financial sector. It embraces agility, adaptability and responsiveness, traits that are essential as local and global economies navigate this period of…
With most forms of public transport at a standstill amid the COVID-19 lockdown, the country is relying heavily on the local minibus taxi industry to transport the bulk of South Africa’s essential workforce and at considerable risk to their own health. As Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula continues to work with the industry to amend legislation and implement intervention aimed at providing reliable transport services during this period while minimising transmission risk, SA Taxi has stepped in to donate R3-million worth of hand sanitisers and facial masks to help battle its spread at taxi ranks and within taxis. “We are encouraged…
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been admitted to an intensive care unit after his ‘persistent symptoms of coronavirus’ worsened on Monday, reported The Guardian. The Guardian reports that the British foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, will run the country’s coronavirus response in Johnson’s absence. Global infections stood at 1,347,803, with deaths at 74,807, as of 05.42GMT, according to the Johns Hopkins tracker. Boris Johnson, the UK’s prime minister, explained in under 650 words An ardent backer of Brexit, Johnson has a reputation for brashness, bending the truth, and bad hair, which has earned him comparisons to President Donald Trump (who is a fan of his). Johnson can…
Former Jam Alley TV presenter Vinolia Mashego, popularly knows as V-Mash, has passed away. She was currently a host of Bheka Sik’bambile on Moja Love. …o e kgathile tema kgadi kgolo ya ga Mashego. Tsela tšhweu #RIPVMash pic.twitter.com/XVQbWjKuDr — Aaron Moloisi (@aaronmoloisi) April 6, 2020 BREAKING NEWS: Former TV presenter of Jam Alley fame Vinolia ‘V – Mash’ Mashego has passed away. Confirmed by Mashego Family. #RIPVMash #RIPVinoliaMashego @IOL @TheCitizen_News @SABCNewsOnline @dailysunsa @SundayWorldZA @IsolezweNews @eNCA @Newzroom405 @News24 pic.twitter.com/9JeGBS6BOh — Khanyi Magubane (@Khanyi_Magubane) April 6, 2020 #RIPVMash We wouldn’t miss an episode of Jam Alley because of you. pic.twitter.com/jvKeukvUqb — Goodwill…
South African Airways (SAA) has concluded an agreement with the Brazilian government to charter a flight to return Brazilian nationals back to their home country today. “SAA has concluded an agreement with the Brazilian government to charter a SAA flight to return Brazilian nationals to Sao Paulo on 6 April,” said the national carrier in a tweet on Monday. The national carrier expressed pride at being of service in the repatriation. The repatriation of Brazilian nationals comes as South Africa entered day 11 of the national 21-day lockdown aimed at curbing the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19). On 22 March, the…
Avon Justine is donating more than a million rand to non-governmental organisations that are offering support to women and girls facing abuse, particularly during the nationwide lockdown where the victims and survivors are confined to their homes and rendered more vulnerable to their abusive partners. The initiative is part of Avon’s fight against gender-based violence during the nationwide lockdowns around the world, themed: You are isolated not alone. The Global Peace Index statistics show that the violence in South Africa is similar to countries at war or in conflict, there were 2 930 women murdered in 2017/2018. Avon Justine through…
The world at large is set for a tough economic recovery period following the coronavirus pandemic. In such times we see much anxiety, job loss, fear and desperation. It will be more important than ever, to safeguard your hard-earned money and not fall for ‘get-rich-quick schemes’, says Direct Selling Association of South Africa’s (DSA) chairman, Rajesh Parshotam. “It’s to be expected that opportunists will take the recovery period as a chance to exploit people. We would like to take this opportunity to warn the public to err on the side of caution,” he said. Parshotam says there will be opportunities…
MyBroadband Insights has released its Q1 2020 Mobile Network Quality Report, which shows that MTN has the best mobile network in South Africa. The report is based on 310,868 speed tests which were performed by thousands of MyBroadband Speed Test App users across South Africa between 1 January and 31 March 2020. The research shows that South Africa had an average mobile download speed of 25.57Mbps and an average upload speed of 9.07Mbps. MTN had the highest average download speed at 43.47Mbps, followed by Vodacom on 29.79Mbps, Telkom on 19.11Mbps, Cell C on 17.52Mbps and Rain on 15.20Mbps. Best mobile…
Funerals are by nature a particularly sad time for families and loved ones of the deceased, but in the era of the COVID-19, which entails a National Lockdown, limits to the numbers of people at social gatherings and strict social distancing measures, they can be especially difficult. “Given the strain that South Africans are already under as a result of the National Lockdown, we thought we would assist in some small way, by providing clarity around the regulations and restrictions and insurance processes surrounding the arranging of funerals during this challenging time,” says Basil Reekie, group managing director of Clientèle.…
The current lockdown due to the rampant COVID-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc on the livelihoods of billions of people all over the world. Since the only logical way to curb the spread of infections is to stay at home, the value of solid and reliable Internet is further brought into the spotlight. While financial institutions and other creditors offer various relief measures, including debt repayment holidays, there are many other essential services that cannot be interrupted. Internet connectivity is one of them. Access to fast, reliable and uninterrupted connectivity makes it possible to share updates on the measures to…