In a collaboration effort between Vox Telecom and MTN South-Africa, local South African SME’s will have a powerful new wireless technology deliver fast, cost-effective and reliable connectivity even to rural areas. Tarana Wireless, a US based technology infrastructure solutions provider, has developed a system that combins multiple antennas and radios, innovative algorithms, to deliver the industry’s first truly viable commercial 5G wireless technology. The company’s products have been proven in numerous Tier 1 mobile and fixed operator deployments. They provide advanced wireless performance and autonomous adaptation that significantly improves deployment cost and flexibility for fixed and mobile access, as well…
Author: Greg Stewart
Business & Tech News Oil Island Dispute: A tiny Island of 30 hectares and barely 1km in length has become the centre of an International Court of Justice(ICJ) court case. Mbanié, an Island off the coast of Gabon is situated in oil rich waters and has become the quest for both Equatorial Gunea and Gabons oil production expansion plans. The dispute around the territory goes back decades to 1972, when the Gabonese army took control of the Island and driving Equatorial Guinea soldiers from Mbanié. Gabon has since set up its own military presence on the virtually uninhabited island. In…
Leadership Lessons from Rugby Champions The 2024 Rugby Championship came to an end this past Saturday with the South African Springboks (Bokke) victorious in a complete routing of the Argentinian Los Pumas at Mbombela stadium in Nelspruit South Africa. While there are often comparisons made with regards leadership qualities in sport that relate to business leadership, there are additionally great lessons to be acknowledged in strategy and creating a winning mind-set or philosophy. An analysis of the statistics for the rugby championship teams is quite an eye opener as it defies many of the set beliefs about this remarkable winning…
The Safety and Security Sector Education and Training Authority (SASSETA) is apparently moving to take control of firearms instructor training and qualification certification in South Africa, and industry sources are claiming that such a shift that could destabilise the entire firearms training industry. This change threatens the efficient processing of thousands of essential security provider and private gun owner licenses, that are issued each year, and there are legitimate fears being expressed that this would impact both businesses and individuals who rely on timely and effective training. The potential consequences of SASSETA’s move are far-reaching. The security sector has been…
Johannesburg, South Africa – 30 September 2024 – While there is more positivity around the South African economy, unemployment still remains high, and consumers are still having to make difficult financial choices after years of low economic growth. The medical scheme industry is not immune to this trend. Consumers are having to take a long hard look at their financial constraints into when evaluating their medical scheme choices based on the cover they can afford, rather than the cover they actually need, sometimes leaving them at risk moving forward. Medical inflation has increased above CPI once again, which during the…
Business & Tech News Old Mutual Fined for Non-Compliance: In a statement released on Friday, the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) said it had imposed an administrative sanction on Old Mutual Life Assurance Company South Africa (OMLACSA) as a result of its non-compliance with the provisions of the Financial Intelligence Centre Act (FICA Act), following an inspection conducted in 2020. The SARB on Friday said the administrative sanctions imposed on OMLACSA were due to its failure to comply with certain provisions of the FICA Act and consists of four cautions and a financial penalty totalling R15.9 million. US Blocks Ai…
As the world moves towards cleaning up its polluted planet, one of the most promoted developments is the use of Hydrogen. Hydrogen engines, hydrogen generators are key new tech developments for what is to be a greener transport future, based on the premise that it is cleaner and more efficient than fossil fuels right? Well it turns out that that’s not as accurate as people would like to believe, and the problem is not in the gas itself but in how the gas is accumulated at scale. Hydrogen hardly occurs naturally on its own, and is mostly found in compound…
In a recent research study conducted by the University of Pretoria (UP) last year, it was highlighted that a full 22% of South African consumers are still completely cash reliant. Clothing and household good retail giant Mr Price underlines this with its latest financial results (for year ending June 2024) indicating that of its R36.6 billion in retail sales, 88.9% were made in cash. However, according to the UP study, a full 36% of south African consumers have adopted digital payments as their preferred method of transaction and this is much higher than the 10% average found throughout Africa. Notably,…
Business & Tech News African Debt for Nature Deal Proposed: According to a Reuters report, there are potentially five African countries working on creating a world-first joint “debt-for-nature” swap to preserve the greater African West Coats ocean areas. Debt-for Nature deals have been structured in the past but none have been multi-national deals. The concept is that economically challenged countries raise money for conservation projects via cheaper loans that replace the countries bonds, and the savings are then used to fun the conservation projects. Countries such as Belize, Gabon and Seychelles have all made such swaps in recent years. Thomas…
In the ever-changing world of business, several African small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are making waves on the global stage. These dynamic companies, born and bred in the heart of Southern Africa, are not just surviving but thriving abroad, showcasing the resilience and innovation that define our nation and are a true testament to Africa’s entrepreneurial spirit. Business Tech Africa spoke with CFO360’s Entrepreneurial founder, Montaque Swanepoel, a qualified CA, to find out what prompted him to start his innovative accounting firm and how it progressed from a SME on the streets of Johannesburg to a big step-up onto the…
