Category Archives: South Africa News

South Africa News

World Trade Organization waives intellectual property rights to support vaccine production in Africa

By Virusha Subban, Partner and Head of Indirect Tax, Baker McKenzie Johannesburg The World Trade Organisation (WTO) announced in June an agreement to waive the intellectual property rights that usually apply in the manufacturing of vaccines, to assist the production of COVID-19 vaccines in developing countries. The measures were proposed to the WTO by the South African and […]

Creating a sustainable positive impact in South African communities begins with investing in innovative, globally relevant tech solutions

By Paula Mokwena, CEO & Head of Direct Investments, Fireball Capital South Africa is home to innovative technology companies that have developed solutions that are solving real global challenges. The country is well-established as one of the continent’s “big four” startup ecosystems, and leads the way for exits, with more than one-third of the acquisitions […]

How single women are getting a foot on the property ladder

Whether single by choice, or single by circumstance, it is clear that women are not waiting around to start climbing the property ladder. While the prospect of embarking on a home ownership journey with a single income may seem daunting – particularly in light of the recent interest rate spike – it is not an […]

Cyber criminals’ eye South African SMEs lack of security

Steve Flynn, Sales and Marketing Director of ESET South Africa, says South African small businesses are particularly vulnerable to cyberattacks. Why? Business owners aren’t taking the necessary precautions to protect their digital assets, often with dire financial consequences. Despite the significant risks, SMEs seem reluctant to take the same digital preventative measures to secure their IT infrastructure […]

Fail to plan, plan to fail…meeting your mining targets

By Arjen de Bruin, Managing Director at OIM Consulting Professional services and auditing network Deloitte has listed sliding productivity and spiralling costs as key issues facing the mining sector, dedicating an entire series in its resource centre to unpacking the factors that are driving productivity down while costs go up. While it lists several intrinsic and extrinsic […]

Here’s why South African billers, retailers and banks should consider open finance solutions

By Clinton Leask, Head of Digital at Pay@ Open banking, a relatively new concept in the field of financial technologies, is fast becoming a major source of innovation that is poised to reshape the banking industry – globally and in Africa. Open Banking is a capability that provides third-party service providers access to consented consumer banking, transaction […]

Proactivity – and Social Media Advertising – can mitigate against a property market pullback

While record-low interest rate levels over the last two years helped give millions of new buyers a foothold in the South African residential property market, an upward trend in the rate, high annual inflation, record-high unemployment, an economy struggling to get back to pre-pandemic levels and the added strain of load shedding have seen the […]

Mining’s ongoing Culture Challenge and how it affects your output

By Arjen de Bruin, Managing Director at OIM Consulting It was the late Peter Drucker – one of the most revered thinkers on management and leadership – who succinctly said, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” Drucker, who maintained that business leaders need to wholeheartedly embrace a spirit of performance, was a strong proponent of the link between […]

Now in South Africa, the AfyaRekod Universal Patient Portal is empowering patients to take charge of their healthcare

AfyaRekod has launched the fully automated Universal Patient Portal in South Africa and it is ready to change the face of patient care across the country, Africa, and the world.  Using block-chain driven technology the Universal Patient Portal is a secure central, mobile platform where patients and the medical professionals treating them have real-time access […]

Kelly Jackson appointed as Managing Director of newly formed EMEA region for The Travel Corporation

Johannesburg, 7 July 2022 – With the recent creation of The Travel Corporation (TTC) Tour Brands combined with the success of North America and Oceania, the departure of UK/Europe Managing Director, Donna Jeavons, opened up an opportunity for the world’s leading privately-owned travel company, to look at its UK, Europe, Ireland and South African offices. […]

Youth will drive the future of digital payment solutions in Africa

By Clinton Leask, Head of Digital at Pay@ With 70% of sub-Saharan Africa under the age of 301 and the youngest population in the world, Africa is home to one of the most ambitious, highly motivated and vibrant youth populations in the world. Millennials, the largest living generation of today, together with Gen Z, are set […]

Digital agency 8909 expands leadership team

Digital agency 8909 has made three significant new appointments to their leadership team. Manisha Jogi has been promoted to  Head of Strategy, Yuvisti Ramgulam has been appointed as Head of Client Service, and Khanya Sijaji has been promoted to  Executive Creative Director.  Jogi will be in charge of translating client marketing strategies into well thought out brand, […]

Indirect tax developments in Sub-Saharan Africa

By Jana Botha, VAT Consultant, Baker McKenzie Johannesburg There have been significant developments in indirect tax within Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) in the past year. The vast majority of developments have been based around VAT amendments and policies, as well as general budget updates for 2022 across SSA. This article includes key developments from Ghana, Kenya, […]

He who shouts loudest…improving mining outcomes through transforming leadership

By Arjen de Bruin, Managing Director at OIM Consulting The archetype exists for a reason: the mining supervisor, yelling at those he is supposed to lead; entertaining no discussion, questions or other perspectives. It’s his way or the proverbial highway. The leadership style best associated with the mining sector is seen as assertive at best, […]

New Report Shines a Light on Artificial Intelligence in Africa

The State of AI in Africa Report by the AI Media Group South Africa, offers an analysis of the emerging Artificial Intelligence (AI) landscape in Africa. It contains multiple statistics and trends while offering insights on key factors and communities driving the ecosystem across the continent.  Report author, and CEO of the AI Media Group, […]

Is your employee communication strategy keeping up with global trends?

Caroline van der Merwe, COO of SmartWage, an innovative HR and communications technology company, says that effective communication is key to a productive workforce, and achieving this in the South African context requires employers to bridge the digital divide. The human need to communicate is as old as time. The first printing press, which introduced […]

Why should you hire a digital marketing agency?

Jacques Du Bruyn, Managing Director, Flume  South African’s adoption of digital tech puts us ahead of many bigger economies. If you look at aspects like the way we bank and how we pay for products and services, we’re way ahead of places in Europe and the USA.  The speed at which we’ve adopted that tech […]

Global Alliance Africa collaborates with Energy Catalyst to introduce South Africa’s local energy ecosystem to opportunities within the UK

Africa’s population is the fastest-growing in the world – putting immense pressure on the development of Africa, especially the high demand for access to energy1. According to the Tracking Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) seven: The Energy Progress Report by the International Energy Agency, the International Renewable Energy Agency, the UN Department of Economic and Social […]

Inner cities are growth engines attracting young homebuyers

Inner city living is boosting the city residential property market and driving urban rejuvenation Inner cities. Love them or hate them, they play a crucial role in stimulating, supporting and enhancing a country’s economic growth. They are hubs for productivity, and due to the scale, diversity and density of activity, ideas and information flow freely, […]

To create a world class supply chain, the SA logistics industry needs better, faster KYC

Estimates suggest the logistics industry contributes around 10 to 12 percent towards South Africa’s GDP. But in order for the country to command a larger market share for its products on the global stage, supply chains need to be world class to ensure efficient delivery of goods. One way to increase efficiencies is by implementing KYC […]

New report unpacks principles necessary for gig work readiness in South Africa

Data released by Statistics South Africa in Q4 of 2021 showed that 45% of young people aged–34 years were not in employment, education or training. This means more than four in every 10 young males and females were unemployed and not receiving skills training. In 2022, predictions for the South African youth unemployment rate are […]

Smart minds look to smart solutions at Africa’s only dedicated Smart Cities Summit

Big industry players join forces to tackle urban decarbonization challenge   The world’s population is on a fast-track from rural to city living. With around 55% already residing in urban areas, this figure is expected to rise to 70% by mid-century. Cities may be the engines of growth and account for more than 80% of global […]