Author: Duncan McLeod

On 10 April, communications minister Dina Pule stripped her director-general, Rosey Sekese, of a range of key powers. In a letter signed by the minister, which TechCentral today publishes in full, Pule assigned all human resources matters to one of Sekese’s deputies, Gift Buthelezi, just as the the DG returned to

DStv operator MultiChoice, which is owned by media giant Naspers, has agreed to back a bid by a broad-based consortium wanting to buy into and rescue the financially troubled On Digital Media (ODM), owner of TopTV. A broad-based consortium led by businessmen

A consortium led by businessmen Given Mkhari and Malose Kekana has made an unsolicited offer to buy a stake in struggling pay-television operator TopTV, website BDlive reported on Monday. TopTV is owned by On Digital Media, which is currently trading under a “business rescue” in

Telkom’s mobile arm has introduced new contract plans that offer unlimited on-network mobile calls as well as unlimited calling to one user-designated fixed-line number. Some of the new Telkom Mobile “SmartPlan” and “SmartSaver” contract voice plans also offer access to free Wi-Fi

On a fairly quiet news week, the agenda was dominated by the launch of the Galaxy S4. Craig Wilson and Duncan McLeod chat about Samsung’s new flagship smartphone and consider what it means for the competitive landscape. They also look at the

Could MTN South Africa be falling victim to the fierce price competition in the mobile industry? Its latest subscriber numbers suggest this might be the case. In the first quarter of 2013, the operator shed 1,9% of its customers, dropping from 25,4m subscribers at the end of December 2012 to 24,9m at the end of

Altech will not give up on the idea of pursuing international acquisitions, despite the financial disaster it that has unfolded for it in East and West Africa in recent years. However, the JSE-listed technology group will take a breather before pursuing new deals, says CEO

Altech’s share price fell by more than 4% in late afternoon trading on Wednesday after it turned in a huge loss for the financial year ended 28 February. The JSE-listed technology group, which has had a torrid time in recent years because of the poor performance of its operations outside South Africa, turned

Parliament’s joint committee on ethics and members’ interests has begun a behind-closed-doors probe into allegations that the communications minister’s alleged boyfriend, Phosane Mngqibisa, benefited financially from the sponsorship of 2012’s ICT Indaba in Cape Town. The committee

Vodacom Group expects its headline earnings per share to rise by as much as 25%, the JSE-listed telecommunications group said on Wednesday, bolstered by a strong operating performance in spite of fierce price competition in South Africa, its biggest market. The group’s earnings have also