Behind the legal storm raging over the recent awarding of a R10bn SA Social Services Agency (Sassa) contract, a far greater prize is at stake: the chance to load microloan and insurance products on to the R105bn the government pays in social grants monthly. Net1 UEPS, the New York-listed parent
Simfy Africa, the local version of a European music streaming service, was launched last month. Some see services like Simfy as a godsend for local labels and musicians, but industry players argue they’re not yet a genuine alternative revenue stream to album sales. Sony Music commercial director Russell Crawford
This was not your typical car race. There was no revving of engines at the starting line, no screeching of tyres — just a gentle silent forward movement and they were off. We had gathered at the northern gate of the CSIR in Pretoria for the start of the Sasol Solar Challenge. For the next two weeks, 13 solar-powered
SA is waiting anxiously to hear what Eskom’s latest round of tariff hikes will be. But besides the tariff increases to pay for its current construction programme – the building of the Medupi, Kusile and Ingula power stations – the big question is how it is going to fund new generation capacity after that. The country’s
Free-to-air broadcaster e.tv has filed papers in the high court in Johannesburg against communications minister Dina Pule, accusing of her acting unlawfully in appointing Sentech to manage the control system that will be used in the set-top boxes that are needed for consumers to receive digital terrestrial television signals
Piracy will remain a problem for entertainment and media companies until barriers to access by consumers are removed and it until becomes more convenient for customers to pay for content than copy it. Furthermore, media companies need
Broadcaster e.tv says the most recent draft digital terrestrial television (DTT) regulations published by the Independent Communications Authority of SA (Icasa) will make it impossible for free-to-air services to compete with DStv and other pay-TV operators. It says the draft regulations, published in July
Finland’s Nokia is trying, once again, to capture the hearts of smartphone-loving consumers with the latest iterations of its Windows Phone-powered Lumia devices. The first first Windows Phone 8 handsets from Nokia, the Lumia 920 and 820 include
Internet service providers could be forced to monitor traffic on their networks to ensure their users aren’t infringing copyright and suspend those who are. This is contained in proposals put forward by the Copyright Review Commission. Service providers, telecommunications operators and other online
Most South Africans are oblivious to the fact that we are in the worst grip of a crisis that has major negative implications for every one of us both now and in the future. People are ignorant of the electricity crisis because “the lights are still on”. But the lights will not stay on. Eskom’s daily message to us all is to use less electricity
