South Africa News Archives - Page 17 of 72

Air France Unveils New Business Class Cabin On Flights Between Paris and Johannesburg

3Apr

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

South Africa News

Air France Unveils New Business Class Cabin On Flights Between Paris and Johannesburg

Air France has unveiled its new long-haul Business cabin, elegantly reasserting the French-style art of travel. Constantly striving to offer the highest level of comfort, the airline’s completely redesigned iconic seat features even more enveloping curves and extra comfort. Air France is introducing a new standard dedicated to this travel cabin. Progressively rolled out on 12 Boeing 777-300s, the new cabin will serve South African travellers flying Air France between Paris and Johannesburg. With attentive service, gourmet cuisine designed by French Michelin- starred chefs, a carefully selected wine and champagne list and a wide selection of in-flight entertainment, the journey can begin. A PRESERVED SPACE The 48 spacious seats in the cabin are based on the 3 “F”s: Full Flat...

3Apr

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

South Africa News

Managing IT in (literal) dark times

A CIO’s guide for doing business in South Africa Freshly out of a global pandemic, CIOs have had to think on their feet as loadshedding wrought new havoc on their teams and departments. As a software-on-demand company with software that needs to be available to customers 24/7, e4 understands the current business challenges better than most, says the company’s CIO, Fikile Sibiya. “But by being proactive, you can ensure that you’ll stay afloat when challenging circumstances threaten your business – whether now or in the future.” Here are her five top tips to navigate the biggest challenges CIOs are currently facing: 1. Diversify. “As loadshedding increased, companies had to diversify their electricity supply, either using backup power, renewables, or generators. This is a good prin...

29Mar

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

South Africa News

Backing SA entrepreneurs is the first step to job creation

58 entrepreneurs from the SAB Tholoana Enterprise Programme created 237 new jobs and sustained 435 jobs during the pandemic and post-pandemic period By Fundiswa Nkwanyana Small businesses are playing a vital role in creating jobs despite their challenges. The past two years have been difficult for entrepreneurs. because they had to overcome challenges caused by the global Covid-19 pandemic, looting and flooding in various parts of the country, loadshedding and tough economic times. Despite these challenges, entrepreneurs that received business growth support from the SAB Tholoana Enterprise Programme created jobs, and their businesses experienced a phenomenal 73% increase in turnover which equates to an overall increase of R11 040 420 million. Together, 58 entrepreneurs created 237 new...

22Mar

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

South Africa News

PayShap – South Africa’s first rapid payments programme launched

Ashlin Perumall, Partner, Baker McKenzie Johannesburg In March 2023, the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) announced the launch of PayShap, a real-time rapid payment platform that is aimed at offering safer, faster and significantly more convenient payment options for South Africans. PayShap is the outcome of an industry-spanning collaboration, driven by BankservAfrica, the Payments Association of South Africa and the South African banking community, with the aim of modernizing the national payments industry. It is rooted in the SARB's Rapid Payments Program, as part of its Vision 2025 strategy to reform the South African national payment system framework. The SARB has noted that PayShap will ultimately offer a cost-effective, instant payment service across banks, a proxy service to emb...

United for Wildlife brings South African private sector leaders to the front line of the fight against wildlife crime

16Mar

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Main, South Africa News

United for Wildlife brings South African private sector leaders to the front line of the fight against wildlife crime

Frontline conservation organisations joined the private sector and law enforcement in South Africa this week in a conference to tackle illegal wildlife trade across the region. Attended by leaders from government, business, law enforcement and NGOs, the two-day event came hot on the heels of recent commitments from the US Treasury to form a United States – South Africa taskforce to ‘follow the money’ and halt the illegal trade in wildlife. Hosted by United for Wildlife at Timbavati Private Nature Reserve, in partnership with the Global Conservation Corps (GCC) and the Greater Kruger Environmental Protection Foundation, Combatting the Illegal Wildlife Trade in Southern Africa promoted greater engagement and collaboration between non-profit, public and private sectors, highlighting the cruc...

14Mar

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

South Africa News

Everything a retailer needs to know about payment platforms in 2023

by Barry Williams, Head of Sales & Retail Relations at Pay@ In the article Barry Williams, Head of Sales & Retail Relations at Pay@ sheds light on some of the predictions we can expect to see unfold in the retail payments landscape in 2023. Every successful retailer knows that to nurture customer loyalty and establish a strong brand, you have got to perfect four key considerations: product, price, place, and promotion. First introduced in the 1950s, these are old principles, but they remain essential in understanding the foundations of the retail industry. However, in the South African market, where consumer income and spending habits are vastly different to those in Europe or America, it is becoming important that we add another ‘P’ to the retail matrix: payments. When we talk ...

14Mar

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

South Africa News

Risks ahead for buoyant markets

While keeping an eye on developing risks, particularly with regards to the US economy, 2023 is nevertheless shaping up well. With market volatility low, investors should take the opportunity to buy protection on portfolios. It's also a good time to take profits on equities and bonds while income yields are high, and wait for opportunities to buy into growth assets. GraySwan shares their views on what the market landscape looks like for South Africa in 2023 and how China and the US are influencing it. GraySwan is an award-winning independent investment advisory and wealth management firm, serves investment advice through a global megatrend lens to institutional and corporate investors, financial planning and wealth management solutions to personal and family office investors. The wealth of...

Smart locker adoption soars amidst global increase in courier delivery and shipping demand

13Mar

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

South Africa News

Smart locker adoption soars amidst global increase in courier delivery and shipping demand

Article by Craig Pitchers, Chief Operating Officer, The Courier Guy Customer demand for an online delivery service that always works is driving growth in the smart parcel locker market and courier industries. The size of the global smart parcel locker market could reach USD 1782.73 million by 2029 growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.4% from 2022 to 2029[1], according to Exactitude Consultancy’s recent study and projections. Smart parcel lockers are an innovation in the delivery chain enabling a flexible and convenient delivery process. Appealing to today’s discerning consumer who wants safe and reliable delivery, smart lockers are an effective solution to delivery gripes like expensive size limitations, lost packages and importantly, waiting around for a delivery to arri...

The anatomy of a scam: Psychological tricks payment fraudsters use to get their way

13Mar

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

South Africa News

The anatomy of a scam: Psychological tricks payment fraudsters use to get their way

The rise in finance and accounting cybercrime through phishing and Business Email Compromise (BEC) has made headlines with massive implications for South African companies with gaps in their payment systems. “However, robust financial controls together with strong server, IT, and email monitoring processes aren’t enough if staff aren’t savvy to the psychological tricks scammers use to manipulate people, making them more vulnerable to tricker and deception,” says Ryan Mer, CEO at eftsure Africa, a Know Your Payee™ (KYP) platform provider. Mer says it’s a myth that only gullible, unskilled professionals are susceptible to scams. “The misconception that only foolish individuals fall victim to cybercrime and payment fraud is dangerous because it leads to complacency in the highly educated who...

13Mar

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Events, Fintech, South Africa News

Blockchain innovators flock to Joburg

Blockchain Africa is the continent’s biggest gathering of Web3 expertise and the crypto curious and it’s coming to Sandton on 16 and 17 March 2023 A Web3 wave comes to African shores next week and the continent is perfectly positioned to rise on this tide of innovation in ingenuity. The 9th annual Blockchain Africa Conference gathers together the brightest technology minds and captains of industry to help unlock the potential of blockchain to overcome the obstacles in the developing world. Blockchain has gained traction in Africa, with founders finding early success by bringing efficiency and delivering lower-cost cross-border payments for African businesses conducting trade abroad. A new age of the internet has dawned, and it is energising the continent. In South Africa the Reserve Ban...