WhatsApp appears to be down for an extended period of time, affecting both South Africa and many other parts of the world. Users across all South African mobile networks reported that the service began acting strangely on Tuesday morning. Similar stories have emerged from Europe and India. When attempting to send messages, users initially saw a single tick. Users were seeing the clock icon at the time of publication, indicating that messages were still being sent, but no messages appeared to be going through. When some users tried to use WhatsApp through a web browser, they received the error message…
Author: Thandile Thobela
Professor Mark Swilling, chair of the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA), believes that the task set for Eskom’s new board of directors to achieve an energy availability factor (EAF) of 75% is impossible. Swilling, who is also a member of the National Planning Commission (NPC), stated at the Kgalema Motlanthe Foundation (KMF) forum on inclusive growth in the Drakensberg on Saturday that half of SA’s 90 electricity generation units were out of service due to breakdown in September, resulting in stage 6 load shedding. Said Swilling: “I have an uneasy feeling that some recent decisions in the appointment of the…
Trade union Solidarity says it will press ahead with its lawsuit against Dis-Chem over its policy of not hiring or promoting any white South Africans in order to boost its transformation agenda. The legal actions follows Dis-Chem withdrawal of a contentious memorandum that was leaked to the public this month. Stating unequivocally that white South Africans would be barred from appointments or promotions at the listed group. The memo, written by Dis-chem CEO Ivan Saltzman, stated that the policy would be incorporated into management’s bonus structure in order to achieve set employment equity targets. While the Dis-Chem board rescinded the…
President Cyril Ramaphosa has praised the Northern Cape as a fertile ground for investment and a target for large investments in the near future. According to the President, the Northern Cape has been able to create mare jobs, and unemployment has been steadily decreasing in comparison to other provinces. “The Northern Cape is a big target for big investments that are going to come. I was in Saudi Arabia and some of the companies that are seeing investment opportunities here in the Northern Cape, with regards to solar, renewables and green hydrogen [power], want to come to no other place…
The high court has ruled that energy regulator Nersa’s methodologies for calculating increases were illegal and invalid. South African households that get their power supply from municipalities should no longer face unfair hikes in the future. The court has given Nersa a year to improve its method. In an interview with the City Press, the business and chambers of commerce that brought the legal action against the regulator stated that municipal power users will not be relieved of having to pay for cable theft, illegal connections, and failing infrastructure that is beyond their control and the sole responsibility of the…
Daniel Mminele, the head of the of the Presidential Climate Finance Task Team, has criticized “speculation coverage” of a leaked draft document claiming that the $8.5 billion In climate funding pledged to South Africa will be mostly in the form of loans. Speaking to News24, Mminele stated that the final “correct” version of the plan differ from the leaked draft. “The numbers cited do not reflect the current status of the financing package, details of which will be provided once the plan is released to the public. Government plans to share the accurate and final version of the Jet-IP with…
The Freeport Saldanha Industry Development Zone is expecting R21 billion in investment, thanks to the historic signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the entity and Sasol. Mireille Wenger Finance and Economic Opportunity MEC and Western Cape Premier Alan Winde applauded a collaboration announced Wednesday between Sasol and ArcelorMIttal SA to produce sustainable fuels and chemicals, as well as green steel development, by assisting in the establishment of a green hydrogen (GH2) HUB IN Saldanha Bay. “The Western Cape Government (WCG) applauds the partnership between these two giants of industry and further welcomes the signing of the Memorandum of…
FlySafair, a South African low-cost airline, predicts that local flight prices will fall to more familiar levels by February 2023. This comes after a period in which volatility and a lack of airline seat supply caused a temporary increase in the average cost of a flight ticket. Kirby Gordon, FlySafair chief marketing officer, said, “We expect that airfares will really normalize in late January to early February. This will be a product of a natural lull in seasonal demand and, more significantly, an increase in the number of seats available in the market.” FlySafair said they will add at least…
South Africa’s ideal power system, which is both cost effective and emits the fewest greenhouse gases, consist of solar PV, wind, and battery storage. According to a report by the National Business Initiative (NBI), the capital required for such a system range between R2.3 trillion and R3.1 trillion. The NBI, in collaboration with Just Share and the World Wild Fund for Nature (WWF-SA), hosted the official launch of their electricity report: Climate Change Investment and Finance Opportunities in the South African Electricity Sector on Wednesday. The report’s findings are based on four studies conducted by the Energy Research Centre at the…
MRI Software, a provider of real estate software solutions, has obtained Johannesburg-based credit bureau TPN Group as part of its expansion into the South African market. MRI announced the acquisition on Wednesday, saying that bringing TPN on board will strengthen its capabilities in its property management and accounting software portfolio, an area where TPN has a strong presence. “In the face of global economic uncertainty and the financial pressures created by widespread inflation, it’s more important than ever to have accurate, detailed tenant profiles to support decision-making,” says MRI Africa MD Mark Fairweather. “TPN is recognised as the most comprehensive authority…
