Laying fibre-optic cabling isn’t normally considered a dangerous job — difficult, time consuming and labour intensive, yes, but not physically dangerous. Except in Johannesburg, where gangs of thugs have begun threatening contractors with guns. Why on earth are these gangs terrorising

Limiting Eskom’s electricity tariff hike to 8% is likely to have far-reaching implications, public enterprises minister Malusi Gigaba said on Monday. “While the National Energy Regulator of South Africa’s [Nersa’s] decision … is welcomed, the implications of the lower tariffs and revenue approved on Eskom’s

Embattled communications minister Dina Pule on Monday came out guns blazing a week ahead of the start of a probe into her affairs by parliament’s committee on ethics and members’ interests, accusing Sunday Times journalists of engaging in a smear campaign against her in order to ensure their own business

A series of articles by the Sunday Times formed part of a smear and blackmail campaign, communications minister Dina Pule claimed on Monday. “The campaign was a highly sophisticated plot to blackmail me,” she told reporters in Johannesburg. “The Sunday Times thought it could coerce

View the latest contribution from TechCentral cartoonist Jerm.

Johannesburg- and New York-listed Electronic payments specialist Net1 UEPS Technologies has failed to conclude a black economic empowerment deal, blaming investigations around its winning of a multibillion-rand tender for the payment of South African social grants. A one-year option

TopTV parent On Digital Media is turning to China in an effort to stave off business failure. The proposed deal will result in China’s StarTimes taking a 20% stake in the business, the maximum foreign shareholding allowed for South African broadcasters. The troubled operator

Cell C CEO Alan Knott-Craig has warned of legal action if the telecommunications regulator does not cut mobile termination rates by the end of the year, according to a report on Friday. “I will use everything in my power to get Icasa [the Independent Communications Authority of SA] to do its job,” Knott-Craig told Business Day newspaper.

With Samsung and Apple dominant in the smartphone wars, Japan’s Sony has had to battle for the Android scraps with companies like HTC. With the Xperia Z, however, the company has done a superb job of catching up with the frontrunners and, in certain respects, even overtaking them. Unveiled

South Africans can expect the launch of three new city domains, .joburg, .capetown and .durban, before the end of the year. TechCentral first reported on the new city domains in 2012. It appears likely that the .africa domain, which was contested by a Mauritius-based company, will be available at the same time as the new city domains. The new domains are