Khayelitsha is set to give birth to SA’s first blockchain property register through a pilot study in the area which consists ofalmost 1 000 properties located in four sites in Makhaza. This was at the back of the Affordable Housing Conference taking place in Cape Town this week. The Centre for Affordable Housing Finance in Africa(CAHF), research consultancy 71point4 and Seso Global have joinedforces to develop South Africa’s first blockchain-based propertyregister. And all the properties are government subsidised properties which havenot yet been registered on Deeds Registry. According to Daniel Bloch, the CEO of Seso Global, a blockchainproperty registry company,…
Author: Thandisizwe Mgudlwa
There are lots of enclosures in which for security access should be restricted to unauthorized persons. From physical surveillance, thanks to the development of new technologies, access control systems through electronic devices have been passed. There are different ways to authenticate a person’s permission to access a certain area. The most common was by means of a keyboard, but other types of systems are already being generalized by proximity tags or even biometric variables, more reliable than other systems. In modern industry, everything related to an access permit is very important because any violation of it will cause disaster for…
Project management is highly important in organizations. It is also a very necessary tool to develop products or services, projects are becoming a form of strategic work useful to survive in the environment we live today.Before you start planning a project, you have to know about project management, know what phases make it up and what benefits this management brings. Whether you are getting started in the world of project management or if you have already gained experience, this article is sure to be useful. The objective that is pursued when project management is carried out, is that an original product…
This is innovation at play. For years the Knowledge Economy has not been fully utilized in South Africa. But this seems to be coming to an end. As a unique partnership between the University of Cape Town (UCT) Graduate School of Business (GSB) and the Cape Town International Convention Centre is to play a pivotal role in advancing the country’s ‘Knowledge Economy’ by offering a new series of Master Classes given by global experts. Aimed at harnessing the knowledge of world experts who frequent Cape Town to attend key global conferences, the sessions will provide a platform for aspiring students…
Ellies, the company involved in the OpenView HD, a new subscription-free satellite TV service says the project will be a high quality, single view unit. “The marketing aim initially is to produce a model to best meet a price point to accommodate a wide LSM audience, without sacrificing basic functionality,” Ellies noted. “Initial pricing is paramount and user sentiment and demand will be evaluated in the future,” Ellies said regarding their decision not to support PVR. Asked whether they will have an Internet-connected decoder, Ellies said that such a decoder would need 3G capability, which defeats the initial objectives. The…
South African’s leading endurance athletes now have an opportunity to take their careers to greater heights. Several of these raising stars have been selected into the Endurocad Satellite program, a first of its kind on the African continent. According to management, ENDUROCAD aims to become the most proficient high performance endurance sports academy in Africa. “The programme seeks to develop and support world class distance runners.” “ENDUROCAD is run in association with its founding partner Investec Asset Management and affiliate partners Adidas, Virgin Active, Vital Health Foods, MXIT, Remgro, Tsogo Sun, Gallo Images, Sports Science Institute of South Africa, Stellenbosch…
Co-founded by Ben Botes and Luther Diedericks in 2006, SA Business Hub wants to help entrepreneurs and small business owners in South Africa to build amazing companies in a move the founder says will develop the economy and up people’s living standards. According to Luther Diedericks, Managing Director & Co-founder of the (SABH) SA Business Hub(Pty)Ltd, “My venture SA Business Hub is the legacy I would like to leave behind. The intention of the hub is to create a seamless system wherein people and their enterprises can sustainably grow and prosper.” “My learning to date made me aware of two…
Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront’s investment in a new fibre optic infrastructure is expected to increase the property’s capacity for IT and communications. According to David Green, CEO of the V&A Waterfront,“With the new fibre optic infrastructure we aim to provide the most advanced high-speed broadband access in South Africa and market parity, adding further appeal to businesses considering the V&A Waterfront as a base for their operations.” In the past 18 months V&A Waterfront has erected intelligent buildings, revitalized the retail experience and also implemented a fibre optic project that will see a single trench policy introduced across the property.…
South African music lovers are in for great times ahead after South African music retailer Look & Listen announced it will re-launch its digital music store five months after it halted online purchases on the platform. Look& Listen new service will be launched in partnership with Mondia Media, a technology solution provider and music content aggregator. Look&Listen February this year said it would no longer offer the option to purchase online. However, its recent collaboration with Mondia Media to re-launch their digital music store that will offer SA Music fans the best of local and international hits, as well as…
MTN SA has introduced new service plans for its BlackBerry users in a move aimed at simplifying data access and offering more choice. “We are excited to introduce enhanced BlackBerry service plans that offer a distinct customer experience ensuring that customers’ usage needs and requirements are taken into consideration,” said Mapula Bodibe, General Manager Consumer Segments at MTN SA. According to the firm, as a result of the introduction of the new attractive service plans, the [capped] BlackBerry Absolute Plan that introduced in March this year will be phased out. MTN’s new range of BlackBerry Service $6 (R59) plans are…
Ster-Kinekor, a South African film chain today announced that it has started converting all 438 of its cinemas to the latest digital technology. Ster Kinekor was founded in 1969 when 20th Century Fox sold its South African theatre business to Sanlam, an insurance company. Sanlam merged the 2oth Century Fox into its Ster Theatres and Ster Films which it operated under the Ster brand. Throughout the 1970s Kinekor embarked on a program of opening new cinemas across South Africa. However, due to the introduction of television in 1976, cinema attendances dropped. Because of this, the South African government at the…
“We are excited about participating in the digital television space – there are vast opportunities to grow free television in Southern Africa and drive digital migration, and we believe satellite, DTT, mobile TV and other digital platforms can play an important role. It is mainly consumers who will benefit as they will have additional choice.” So says Maxwell Nonge, Platco Digital Managing Director, ahead of the new free-to-view satellite TV operator. Platco reveal that it has entered into partnerships with a range of companies including satellite providers, leading set-top-box (STB) distributors, major retailers and broadcasters. Platco also aims to launch…
South African’s with based in the Western Cape Province have up to July 31 to apply to the World Design Capital Cape Town 2014 (WDCCT). The World Design Capital Cape Town 2014 forms part of a broader vision to transform Cape Town, through design, into a sustainable, productive African city, bridging historic divides and building social and economic inclusion. Cape Town was designated World Design Capital 2014 at the International Design Alliance (IDA) Congress in October 2011 in Taipei. This prestigious designation is bestowed biennially by the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (ICSID). World Design Capitals recognise the value of design thinking, and are dedicated to using design as tool for social,…
International research shows that in 2012, global oil consumption reached an all-time high, the number of workers in vulnerable employment exceeded 1.5 billion people, and physical water scarcity affected some 1.2 billion people. Africa, Asia and Latin America being one of the regions that experience the worst effects of these latest trends. The study also captures the impacts of these alarming trends and the increasingly risky state of humanity in Vital Signs: Volume 20, the latest compilation from the Institute’s respected Vital Signs project. Michael Renner, Worldwatch senior researcher and director of the Vital Signs project said, “Our economic systems…
“Smart metering has a place in Africa. It has the potential of meeting the needs and specific challenges of Africa’s utilities and electricity consumers. However, utilities must select the right technology from the outset.” This is according to experts who also believe that Africa is ready for smart metering technology. “However, smart choices must be made when faced with the options.” Experts further reveal that less than 10% of Sub-Saharan (SSA) rural households have access to electricity, with an overall access rate below 25%. It could be thought that capacity and low access rates would be at the top of…
We would spare a thought for those who can’t access a basic human right like water. With the Institute of Waste Management of Southern Africa (IWMSA), in solidarity with the focus on World Water recently declaring that water is essential to all life on earth, and applauding South African municipalities for their continued monitoring of, and attention to, the quality of the countries drinking water. According to the Groups studies, SA has the distinction of being one of only twelve countries in the world where it is safe to drink our tap water. “As of 2012, the good news is…
International development experts strongly emphazize that Africa’s growth means global growth. And the world’s biggest economy, the US, is wisely tapping in to this potential, they add. Furthermore, they find that the African continent desparately needs power. According to expert’s research, Africa is home to almost 17% of the world’s population yet it produces only 4% of the world’s generated power. “Over 66% of Sub-Saharan Africans do not have electricity despite living in a region where the economy is growing rapidly. The continent plays host to six of the 10 fastest-growing countries in the world. It is also found that…
Cape Town Tourism is looking to grow the number of visitors to the region through the recently launched Cape Town Toolkit. The tool kit is a digital toolkit that showcases and sells Cape Town as a top tourist destination to the global village. According to the Group, the toolkit includes diverse itineraries, high-quality images and information about Cape Town that allows registered users in the travel, tourism and marketing trade to access promotional material and resources at the touch of a button. Users can select specific elements, download packaged information and put together customised itineraries, using Cape Town Tourism collateral.…
Earlier this year, Quintica, added to the list of companies that are making Cape Town, an extended home. Quintica, a Pan-African ICT specialist company, offers integrated services and technology solutions into the enterprise and MobileNetwork Operator markets. The move to the Capewas in-line with a bid to meet the growing demand for its consulting and training services in the area. Hence the group’s decision to open an office in South Africa’s oldest modern city, to service client’s training, consulting and technology needs. Business is good and group recently launched the Q-Campus in Cape Town. According to the company, “The launch…
The Symphonia for South Africa (SSA) notes that as Nelson Mandela International Day is almost upon us on July 18, many South Africans will, once again, donate some of their time to honor Nelson Mandela by contributing to the enhancement of our beautiful country. Organizers say, “Just like Mandela, we at Symphonia for South Africa (http://qe4sa.org/index.php/mandela-day-appeal ) believe we all have a role to play in making our collective future better. To this end, SSA calls on all segments of the population – from the NGO sector to business to government- to work together to improve education, one of South…
A new initiative to develop businesses has been launched by a top South African growth equity fund manager, Knife Capital. The group has developed a later-stage business accelerator in Cape Town to assist post-revenue high-growth technology enabled Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to become sustainable and fundable. Up until know, Cape Town entrepreneurs have exposed to regular start-up competitions, networking initiatives and business incubators such as the Bandwidth Barn, AngelHub and 88Mph. Owners also declare that the Grindstone Accelerator is uniquely positioned to take the top SMEs to the next level. Grindstone CEO Andrea Böhmert has called it part accelerator, part…
“Veeam Backup and Replication is a great tool for creating safe, tested backups of a virtualised server environment,” so says Ian Faller of networking and hosted services provider CipherWave. Faller also explains, “But there is always a need to keep offsite backups, and our clients who host their own servers love the idea that they no longer have to store a local backup to tape, then pay someone to take it away and store it. It can all be done in the cloud.” According to Cipherwave, for these clients, CipherWave creates a “seed load” full backup using an external hard…
The South African Department of Energy, is investing more than R40bn of private investment in renewable energy for the Financial Close of the second phase of REIPPP (Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme). Also, this programme is an initiative of the DOE. And the term Financial Close may sound like it relates to the corridors of high finance, but it also signals a change to the lives of thousands of people in SA’s poorest rural areas. According to the DOE, “After Financial Close, which took place on Thursday (9 May), construction of seven wind farms will commence in remote…
“This year we saw big changes in the way customers approach their digital banking. The increased availability of mobile apps, wider usage of self-service features and new security concerns are a few of the changes that banks and customers have had to adapt to.” So says Henk Pretorius, Columinate CEO, explaining that the second annual Internet Banking SITEisfaction survey is important as it provides insights into one of the fastest changing areas of customer banking. Columinate, online research specialists have released the results of the survey. The survey is understood to be the most comprehensive report on customers’ usage and…
Cape Town based media company, 2oceansvibe Media, recently announced the release of a multimedia app for its 2oceansvibe news and 2oceansvibe Radio services. This is a first for South Africa. The app features multimedia news and video alongside live-presented streaming radio, while users can also create their own playlists and buy whatever song is playing – directly from the app (via iTunes). An Android version is under development. According to the group, “This saves them a step, rather than using apps like Shazzam to identify the song playing for later purchase. This very same iTunes purchase feature is planned for…
A South African idea became part of the 20 most innovative ideas in the world. In the month April 2013, Intel sent out a call to emerging innovators from across the world. Organizers announced, “The challenge‘ Prove how your big idea will change the world.” “Fifty finalists were selected. The top 20 were flown to Montreal to take the stage at C2-MTL, a business conference attended by the world’s leading creative and commercial influencers. There, they would shake hands with Sir Richard Branson, wine and dine with Intel’s chief evangelist and futurist, Steve Brown, workshop their idea with passionate minds…
It’s another technological first for Africa. The InfoTelesys UnixiT iT Set V21 tablet computer, has been designed and developed in the Silicon Cape, Western Province, South Africa. The Group also reveals, this system has been described as the ‘The Worlds Most Advanced Commercially Available Tablet Computer. And the InfoTelesys UnixiT iT runs both Android and Unix offering users unprecedented flexibility incorporating around half a million Android applications, in addition to advanced Unix work-station applications such as Oracle OpenOffice, Qt Designer, among others “InfoTelesys iT Set users now have the flexibility of a tablet computer coupled with advanced desktop software, most…