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South African LG factory burned down
LG Electronics relocated its plant from Johannesburg to Durban and unveiled its new home for manufacturing and distribution on 24 January 2020. KwaZulu-Natal Premier Sihle Zikalala said the move was a “progressive decision as this factory has the potential to contribute tremendously in growing the City and province’s economy”. The factory had a staff complement of
Virgin Galactic may sell $500m of shares after space success
Virgin Galactic has said it may sell up to $500m of shares after completing a successful space trip on Sunday. In a filing, the company says it plans to use cash raised to develop its spaceship fleet and infrastructure. On Sunday, Sir Richard Branson, Virgin Galactic's billionaire founder, reached the edge of space on one
Rand drops after riots hit South Africa
South Africa’s rand slumped to its weakest level against the dollar in more than two months as rioting that started with last week’s arrest of former President Jacob Zuma spread, weighing on the outlook for an economy already strained by a resurgence of the coronavirus. The violent protests shuttered businesses and disrupted transport networks in
Kulula flights stopped until September
Comair has extended the suspension of Kulula.com and British Airways flights until 31 August 2021, following President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement that South Africa will remain on lockdown level 4. Comair said the prohibition of all non-essential travel in and out of Gauteng means there is limited demand for business travel. Comair suspended all scheduled flights
Operation PROSPER launched in South Africa
The Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, announced in the Government Gazette that 2,500 troops would be deployed to help police bring rioting in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng under control. Dubbed Operation PROSPER, the deployment will be from 12 July to 12 October 2021. The troop deployment aims “for service in cooperation with the
Telkom closes all stores countrywide until further notice
Telkom has joined MTN and Vodacom in shutting stores in violence-torn KwaZulu-Natal, and has now decided to close its outlets countrywide until further notice as a precautionary measure. “Please note that from 13 July, all Telkom stores across the country will be closed until the situation can be assessed fully and it can be established
Samsung quietly launched its TV Plus streaming service on the web
Samsung recently launched a web version of its free and ad-supported Smart TV Plus streaming service for live and linear programming as well as added casting support for Chromecast devices. The streaming product, which was previously limited to Samsung TV and mobile devices, launched as a web service in the second quarter, Protocol reported Friday.
Redesigned iPad mini reportedly on track to launch this fall
Apple plans to release a new iPad mini featuring “the biggest redesign in [its] nine-year history” this fall, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports (via 9to5Mac). The new device is expected to feature slimmer bezels, a larger display, faster performance, and a design similar to Apple’s new iPad Air from last year, MacRumors notes. It could be
Millions of Vodacom, MTN, and Telkom subscribers suffer from recent cyber scam
A criminal syndicate has stolen millions from Vodacom, MTN, and Telkom subscribers in a sophisticated new scam. Many mobile subscribers have discovered a number has been added to their profile without their permission, and thousands in airtime and data transferred to this number. To steal as much money as possible, the criminals take control of
More load-shedding to hit South Africa
Eskom has urged the public to reduce electricity usage as the South African Weather Service forecasts extremely cold weather this week. “Eskom has not implemented load-shedding since 13 June 2021 due to some improvement in the performance of the generation fleet and the system is currently performing relatively well,” the power utility said in a
South Africa’s emergency power plans in disarray
Following the announcement on 18 March 2021 of preferred bidders for 2000 MW of new emergency generation capacity in South Africa, the “non-negotiable” timelines for both financial closure by the end of July 2021 and power to the grid by mid to end 2022 are looking increasingly unlikely. In addition, the local content designated by
Billionaire Dangote can’t get enough tomatoes to run plant profitably
Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote is barely managing to operate Africa’s biggest tomato processing plant, six years after the factory began production, as he can’t get adequate berries to crush. Dangote’s 1,200-ton a day plant is producing at 20% of capacity because farmers don’t have enough resources to boost acreage. The factory was meant to reverse
African finance chiefs urge G-20 to speed up access to IMF funds
Four African finance ministers urged the Group of 20 nations to pressure the International Monetary Fund to accelerate the disbursement of new loans the continent needs to overcome the economic devastation wrought by the coronavirus pandemic and avert an insolvency crisis. “Timely, stable and sufficient long-term financing on fair terms for an inclusive and sustainable
Nedbank shifts permanently to a hybrid work-from-home model
Nedbank has communicated to staff that it plans to shift to a “hybrid workforce model” with a significant percentage of the bank’s employees not working in the group’s offices daily, a move that has been accelerated by Covid-19. Because of the pandemic, most corporate staff at the largest professional services firms in the country (financial services,
Mr Price gets CompCom backing for R500m Yuppiechef deal
JSE-listed clothing and homeware retail giant Mr Price Group is a step closer to scooping online retail kitchenware pioneer Yuppiechef, after the Competition Commission of South Africa (CCSA) on Thursday announced its backing of the acquisition. The CCSA said in a statement that it “has recommended that the Competition Tribunal approve the proposed transaction” without
WhatsApp adds feature that allows users send images and videos in their ‘best quality’
A future version of WhatsApp will give more control over the amount of compression it applies to sent images and videos. WABetaInfo reports that the two features are currently in development for the Android app, and should eventually present three quality options when sending images and video. The options are “Auto,” “Best quality,” or “Data saver.” If it releases in
You can now apply for a job through TikTok
TikTok is testing a job application tool that allows its users to directly apply with video resumes to companies like Chipotle, Target, and Shopify. The short-term pilot program, called TikTok Resumes, stems from content that has organically popped up on the platform, like #CareerTok, and the company’s deliberate initiatives to influence college students and younger
New lockdown rules for delivery drivers in South Africa
Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams has published new regulations governing the safety measure couriers, postal services, network providers, and film and TV productions must implement to curb the spread of Covid-19. The regulations were published in the Government Gazette on Wednesday and will apply to lockdown alert levels 3, 4, and 5.
Google Calendar adds RSVP options for attending events virtually
As companies large and small settle on how they’ll return to working in-person, a hybrid work future, where working from home is common and expected, is beginning to seem like more of a reality. To accommodate hybrid workplaces, Google plans to expand RSVP options over the next few weeks to let users say whether they’ll
MultiChoice's bank accounts frozen in Nigeria over R63 billion tax debt
MultiChoice is facing the freezing of its bank accounts in Nigeria over a dispute involving 1.8 trillion naira (R63 billion) with the country’s Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Reuters reported. According to the report, the Nigerian revenue services instructed banks to freeze the accounts of MultiChoice Africa and its Nigerian subsidiary. FIRS alleged that MultiChoice