The Soviet system ultimately collapsed under its own weaknesses – lack of innovation, a chronic shortage of consumer goods, inept central planning. None of these are obvious Chinese failings.

IBM gave a positive forecast for 2019 and beat analysts’ estimates for quarterly sales and earnings, led by its business that helps companies and governments manage their technology.

Cape Town’s premier high-street digital print and design specialist, Hot Ink, has brought the “wow” factor to digital printing in Cape Town with the city’s first Xerox Iridesse production press from Altron Bytes Document Solutions.

South Africa’s inflation rate reached the mid-point of the central bank’s target range of 3-6% in December — something the Reserve Bank says would allow for flexibility in dealing with price shocks.

MultiChoice will carry losses incurred by Showmax in the “medium term”, but the goal is eventually for the streaming television service to turn a profit once broadband infrastructure in South Africa and the rest of the continent has been built out further to support it.

Streaming services pose a significant threat to MultiChoice’s future growth potential, but they are by no means the only risks exercising the minds of the pay-television operator’s management team.

Years after starting a process to sell its non-core assets, JSE-listed technology group Altron has received regulatory approval to dispose of the last company it had a controlling interest in and which it had ring-fenced for sale.

The Public Investment Corp, Africa’s biggest money manager, said it has suspended two employees after an investigation into a transaction with Ayo Technology Solutions.

TomTom will sell its Telematics fleet-management business to tyre manufacturer Bridgestone for $1-billion, freeing up resources to battle the likes of Alphabet for access to mapping technology in car dashboards.

The US has indicated it will pursue the extradition of a top Huawei executive, Canada’s ambassador to Washington said, suggesting the case might not be resolved in trade talks with China.