Author: Staff Writer

South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa is waiting for a “scientific assessment”, due this week, on the effect of South Africa’s COVID-19 lockdown before deciding whether it should be extended. In an interview with News24, Ramaphosa said: “We are still doing an assessment about the effectiveness of the lockdown. In terms of compliance, we are finding that many of our people throughout the country are abiding by the lockdown, and its regulations. There are pockets, here and there, of people who are still getting on with their lives as though there is no coronavirus. “We will be able to make a proper, if…

The Presidency’s Solidarity Response Fund has already raised R500-million in its first week to help South Africans affected by the coronavirus outbreak – and now it’s become even easier for individuals and businesses to donate to the Fund, thanks to the addition of a payment platform that will allow payments to be made in as little as 8 seconds. The Solidarity Response Fund, swiftly developed by President Cyril Ramaphosa to help manage the coronavirus crisis in South Africa, aims to help detect and prevent the further spread of the virus, while also providing care and support to those who have…

MTN announced on Wednesday that it has introduced MoMo social bundles and is waiving MoMo cash in service fees. The launch of MoMo social bundles will see MTN customers use their positive MoMo cash balance to buy any of the five new bundles offered to suit their unique usage needs and budget. For a nominal fee of R8, customers will be credited with 500MB to access their favourite social media platforms. This bundle is valid for 24 hours. For R15, MoMo users will have access to 1GB, which will be valid for 3 days. Moderate users can opt for a…

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), which is used for protection from exposure to coronavirus (COVID-19), is in short supply globally, but companies that import PPE are saying that they face challenges in getting the equipment to the countries that need it. Leon Stoltz, CEO of Stoltz One, an international trading company based in Cape Town with offices in Atlanta, Tokyo and Zurich, says that a variety of factors are contributing to the global shortage but chief among them are middlemen looking to make a quick buck. Stoltz says, “Middlemen are trying to insert themselves into orders and get a cut, which…

South Africa’s Section 12J specialist fund manager Anuva Investments has come to the rescue of health and wellness product manufacturer Biodelta, by way of a R20 million capital injection. The company which produces and distributes health and wellness products has in the last weeks become a crucial supplier in the fight against COVID-19, extending its product range and manufacturing focus to deliver much-needed COVID-19 key products. Virus test kits, three-layer surgical masks, sanitisers and immune booster supplements have now been fast-tracked in their production output thanks to the capital advanced to fund the current worldwide critical short supply. The timeous…

President Cyril Ramaphosa has summoned communication minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams for a meeting after she was exposed violating the government-imposed lockdown by having lunch with former deputy minister Mduduzi Manana. Speaking to the media after a visit to Rand Water on Tuesday, Ramaphosa said he had seen the picture of Ndabeni-Abrahams having lunch with Manana. “I have seen the picture of minister Ndabeni Abrahms sitting at a luncheon with a number of friends and other people, I have asked her to come and see me so she is going to come and see me and I am going to have a…

15 years after founding Vuma Reputation Management in 2005, Janine Hills; one of South Africa’s foremost reputation management experts, has said her final goodbyes to Vuma Reputation Management. Janine’s leaving is as a result of the completion of a transformation process that started in 2017 with a Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBBE) transaction in which members of the company’s executive team acquired 51% of Vuma Reputation Management (Pty) LTD. Vuma Reputation Management as a business is the leader in its field and with its current client base and growth prospects is sustainable and poised for growth, the perfect time for…

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…