Author: Staff Writer

As South Africa braces for winter, Sungrow renews its dedication to delivering reliable and sustainable energy solutions along with top-notch aftersales services. With a well-established product lineup trusted by the market, Sungrow is prepared to help households across the country achieve energy independence. Sungrow’s residential solutions are designed to meet backup needs at every stage of load shedding, ensuring a continuous power supply when it’s needed most. These solutions are optimised to enhance PV investments, offering seamless transitions and noise-free operation, thereby providing a superior power usage experience for South African homes. “Our mission at Sungrow is to empower every…

The Media Information and Communication Technologies Sector Education and Training Authority (MICT SETA) today announced the opening of the Discretionary Grant application window for the 2025/26 financial year. “We invite all eligible stakeholders within the Media, Information and Communication Technologies sub-sectors to apply for funding aimed at addressing sectoral skills needs as outlined in the Sector Skills Plan (SSP), Strategic Plan, and the National Skills Development Plan,” MICT SETA said in a statement. The Discretionary Grant is designed to fund programmes and projects that enhance the supply of qualified individuals for scarce and critical skills, support enterprise development, and provide…

Transnet SOC Limited (Transnet), through its division Transnet Pipelines, is responsible for transporting crude oil from Durban to the Natref refinery in Sasolburg. This refinery is co-owned by Sasol Oil (Pty) Ltd (Sasol Oil) and TotalEnergies Marketing (Pty) Ltd (TotalEnergies), holding 63.64% and 36.36% shares respectively. In 2017, Sasol Oil initiated legal action against Transnet, following TotalEnergies’ lead, due to Transnet’s failure to set pipeline tariffs in accordance with a 1991 agreement. This breach resulted in Transnet overcharging Sasol Oil for crude oil transportation over several years. The legal battle has spanned multiple courts, including the High Court, Supreme Court…

The highly anticipated fourth-generation BMW X3 manufactured in South Africa affirms the BMW Group’s commitment to electrification. Delivered also with a plug-in hybrid powertrain, the global best-seller embarks on a new era. The BMW X3 30e xDrive will be produced at the iconic BMW Group Plant Rosslyn for worldwide export. Last year, BMW Group South Africa announced the BMW Group’s R4.2 investment in the electrification and digitalisation of the plant. The infrastructural upgrade represents the largest in the plant’s history. It secures BMW Group Plant Rosslyn’s future as well as the livelihoods of over 20,000 direct and indirect employees, reflecting…

Each July, the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) hosts Wimbledon, the premier tournament in tennis. For over three decades, IBM has collaborated with the Club to enhance The Championships’ coverage and engage fans through detailed data-driven insights. This year, IBM’S watsonx, an enterprise-ready generative AI platform, will help tell some of the tournament’s most compelling stories. IBM and the AELTC have announced a new digital feature for Wimbledon that leverages match data and generative AI from IBM’s watsonx platform to keep fans updated on top players as they progress through The Championships. The new ‘Catch Me Up’ feature offers…

May 2024 wasn’t the best month for new or used car sales in South Africa, with both markets declining by over -10%. According to used car sales data released by AutoTrader, the used car market – at 27,729 units in May 2024 – declined by -10.5% versus the 30,977 used cars sold in May 2023. On the other hand, naamsa | The Automotive Business Council revealed that the new passenger car market – at 24,367 in May 2024 – registered a decrease of 3,212 cars, or a decline of -11.7%, compared to the 27,579 new cars sold in May 2023.…

Seeds for the Future, Huawei’s globally-recognised CSR flagship programme is now open for 2024 applications in South Africa. The annual programme provides training opportunities for outstanding students, including a cross-cultural exchange and advanced training in technologies such as 5G, Cloud, AI and IoT. This year 15 South African students will be chosen and will be welcomed back to China for the first time since the Covid 19 pandemic. “We are excited to once again be hosting outstanding tertiary students studying ICT-related subjects back in China this year,” says Charles Cheng, Huawei South Africa’s deputy CEO. “This is a unique opportunity…

Huawei opened the doors of its state-of-the-art innovation centre in Johannesburg recently to its interns looking to learn and network in a career development workshop. This workshop is a key component of Huawei’s 12-month partnership programme with the Department of Labour and Employment (DOEL), now in its second year of implementation. Employment-seeking matriculants and higher education graduates are recruited from the DOEL’s online database. Once selected, interns receive rigorous on the job training on Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). They are assigned a mentor who works closely with them, with the aim of upskilling and gaining formal employment within the…

Eskom today announced that loadshedding continues to remain suspended until further notice, due to the continued improvement in the reliability and stability of the generation coal fleet. Loadshedding has currently been suspended for 79 consecutive days. The last time South Africa experienced such an extended suspension of loadshedding was the period between 23 July 2021 and 06 October 2021. Our generation performance continues to surpass the winter forecast for this year. The current unplanned outages average is at 12 000MW. Managing morning and evening peaks With the ongoing colder weather, Eskom will strategically utilise, as planned in its winter outlook, its…

Both the new car market and used car market hit the skids in May. New car passenger sales fell by -11.7% year-on-year while used car sales were not that far behind, falling by -10.5% year-on-year and -3% month-on-month. “While the drop in sales is indicative of a market that is coming under pressure, one must be cognizant of consumer uncertainty surrounding the elections, which impacted May car sales,” states George Mienie, AutoTrader CEO. In May, sales in the used car market contracted by -996 units resulting in 27,729 used cars sold. The cumulative value of used cars sold amounted to…