Author: Staff Writer
South Africa’s Grindstone Accelerator announced on Tuesday it has concluded partnership agreements with Google for Startups and Deloitte to extend its reach. Grindstone confirmed Google for Startups as a technology partner in South Africa, where it will provide Google for Startups programmes to future Grindstone cohorts. Kevin O’Toole, Google’s Global Head of Accelerator Strategy, Operations, Partnerships and Programs, unpacked the opportunity: “The ‘Grindstone Google for Startups’ initiative will connect Grindstone to an elite group of the world’s top accelerators, allowing it to share information and leverage resources. Grindstone will be able to access Google’s global network, insights from the company’s…
The National Treasury will later this month kick off a consultative process on the taxation of electronic cigarettes from 2021. This comes after Finance Minister made the announcement in the 2020 Budget. In a statement, the Treasury said: “Government is concerned about the potential long term health harm related to the use of these products”. In recent years, new generation products such as electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) and electronic non-nicotine delivery systems (ENNDS) have been introduced in the market. The Treasury said these products, also known as electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), are battery-powered devices that do not burn or use…
Human Settlements Minister Lindiwe Sisulu says government will ask the banking sector and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research to help in finding ways of using technology to fast-track the issuing of title deeds. She said this when Ministers in the Social Services cluster fielded oral questions at the National Assembly on Wednesday. This comes as she told Members of Parliament that while the department – through its provincial and municipal offices – has issued just under 30 000 title deeds to date, more needs to be done to fast-track the delivery thereof. “To assist us to fast-track this, we…
Cisco was chosen as the preferred vendor by Liquid Telecom South Africa to replace its core network. The technological advancement enabled Liquid Telecom to advance into the next phase of automation and orchestration, allowing the company to respond to customer demand for extra bandwidth and vastly improved reliability. According to Reshaad Sha, CEO, Liquid Telecom South Africa, “This replacement cements our position as one of the most technologically advanced, modern and reliable networks on the African continent. Cisco’s equipment gives our network vertical scalability and is built future-ready”. The impact of this 100Gbps replacement has provided additional capacity within the…
The business rescue practitioners (BRPs) of South African Airways (SAA) have issued a notice advising employees of the intention to begin retrenchment consultations. In a statement, the BRPs said they have been engaging with SAA unions in relation to the process and the intention to begin the consultation process. “Our intention has always been to preserve as many jobs as possible through this process, while still focusing on having a sustainable airline and platform for growth,” said the business rescue practitioners on Monday. SAA has experienced numerous financial and business challenges, which resulted in losses of some R26 billion over…
The Ministry of Communications and Digital Technologies, together with the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa, (ICASA) have welcomed Vodacom’s settlement agreement on data prices. “Today’s announcement is an important milestone in our quest to ensure that data prices are affordable for the majority of South Africans as this is a key driver for the Fourth Industrial Revolution,” Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, said in a statement on Tuesday. Her remarks follow Vodacom’s announcement to cut its data bundle prices by more than 30% across all of its channels as of 1 April 2020. The mobile operator…
Vodacom will cut its data bundles prices by more than 30% across all of its channels as of 1 April 2020. “Vodacom has agreed to a multi-year substantial reduction of monthly data bundles across the board. For example, the key 1GB monthly data bundle will drop from R149 per 1 Gigabyte to no more that R99 (including Vat). This represents a 34% price decrease,” said Competition Commissioner Tembinkosi Bonakele. Bonakele, together with Minister of Trade and Industry, Ebrahim Patel and Vodacom group CEO Shameel Joosub, held a media briefing in Tshwane on Tuesday, to announce Vodacom’s settlement agreement on data…
Avon calls for an end to pejorative words and phrases used to silence women Campaign urges women to reclaim stereotyped language and be proud to speak out and share their stories Avon pledges $10 million to support women’s issues across the globe Avon, the company for women, has launched a campaign calling on men and women worldwide to #SpeakOut and put an end to pejorative words and phrases used to silence women. Launched ahead of International Women’s Day on March 8th, the campaign is in response to growing evidence of a gender divide, with the World Economic Forum’s 2020 report…
We are pleased to present to your attention LocalAgro, an International Agricultural Business Platform designed for local food market participants and equipped with a wide range of communication and search tools that provide a full range of services for business relations. The platform based on blockchain technologies and designed to simplify business processes and cut out the middlemen between the food producer and consumer. Food drives the world! Agriculture is an industry with a total volume of over 8.7 trillion dollars, and it is growing. If current population growth trends continue, by 2050, the demand for calories will increase by…
Short-term insurer King Price is diversifying its business into the South African life insurance market. King Price announced on Friday it has received regulatory approval for its acquisition of life insurer Stangen from JSE-listed African Phoenix Investments. The deal is valued at R140 million. The move allows King Price to achieve its ambition of gaining a running start into the local life insurance market, said chief executive Gideon Galloway. The insurer plans to launch the King Price life brand within the next 12 months and forecasts that life products will make up half of its revenue within the next decade.…