South Africa News Archives - Page 27 of 72

Hybrid work: How to create a digital transformation strategy that actually works

5Sep

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

South Africa News, Tech

Hybrid work: How to create a digital transformation strategy that actually works

The working world has changed drastically. Today, survey after survey shows workers want a hybrid work model. But what does the future workplace look like and how can organisations create a digital transformation journey that fits the new paradigm? Marilyn Moodley, Country Leader for South Africa and WECA (West, East, Central Africa) at digital transformation specialist SoftwareONE, says the working landscape has changed forever. “While the idea of a digital workplace has been taking shape for several years, the start of the pandemic accelerated the trend where we witnessed over three years’ worth of digital transformation in just three months. Organisations across the globe are trying to fine-tune their hybrid work environment. Doing so often requires a faster transition to a digital wor...

Crypto assets: Are you prepared for the taxman?

1Sep

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Fintech, South Africa News

Crypto assets: Are you prepared for the taxman?

South African taxpayers must realize that the time to regularise their cryptocurrency assets with the South African Revenue Service (SARS) has come, says Diane Seccombe, National Head of Taxation at Mazars. “While tax compliance in the crypto space has been a murky area until now, SARS and the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) have followed other international jurisdictions in developing stringent regulatory frameworks for this burgeoning segment of the market, with much focus on transparency,” Seccombe says. Now, there is no longer any doubt that taxpayers are required to disclose their crypto assets – including purchases, current holdings, and disposals – as part of their statements of assets and liabilities. From a tax perspective, cryptocurrencies are not regarded as currencies, but...

Flow Brings Billboard Advertising into the Digital World for Estate Agents

24Aug

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Real Estate, South Africa News

Flow Brings Billboard Advertising into the Digital World for Estate Agents

Nowhere in the world has an SMME been able to access major billboards in prominent locations before - but local proptech innovators Flow have handed estate agencies and individual agents the opportunity to mix with major global FMCG brands in the Digital Out of Home (DOOH) space, at a fraction of the cost. Having embarked on a mission to revolutionise the real estate industry by harnessing the power of social media to match agents, buyers and sellers, Flow’s next step allows agents to own space in hotspots across South Africa to promote their brands and individual properties to millions of commuters, every day. “Traditional billboards are booked months in advance, require creative teams to conceptualise and design them, an agency to produce the massive physical print and a media buying...

17Aug

By Nomvula NyandeniNo Comments

Fintech, South Africa News

Cross-sector collaboration is turning unbanked into banked and can unlock financial inclusion in South Africa

By Nomvula Nyandeni, Business Development Lead at Pay@ Financial inclusion is a key enabler in reducing extreme poverty in Africa. It provides a step forward for consumers in underserved and unbanked markets across the continent, who previously had little or no access to useful, relevant, and affordable financial products that adequately meet their needs – these include transactions, payment solutions, savings and credit facilities, and insurance. This remains a priority in South Africa, where an estimated 23.5%1 of the population remains excluded from the banking system, with large groups of society unable to utilise financial services due to issues surrounding accessibility2. As such, South Africans are still choosing to make use of cash for the majority of purchases. This is despite t...

17Aug

By Virusha SubbanNo Comments

African News, Medicine, 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 Indian governments, with other developing countries supporting the move. The waiver agreement received unanimous support from WTO member countries. The agreement by multilateral parties indicates the level of global support and potential for partnerships to enable vaccine production in Africa. The agreement means that governments in developing countries will be able to authorize the production of much needed vaccines o...

8Aug

By Paula MokwenaNo Comments

South Africa News, Startups

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 that have taken place across the African tech space since 20151. The tech sector is actively addressing a myriad of challenges, ranging from unemployment, all the way to education, health, and financial inclusion. South Africa has one of the most unequal school systems in the world, with 85% 2 of students attending poorly funded, and dysfunctional schools. This was further exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic, which saw schools ado...

8Aug

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

Real Estate, South Africa News

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 unattainable goal says Andrea Tucker, Director of MortgageMe. It is important to remember that home ownership is a marathon, not a sprint. By making wise financial choices and following the right advice, you can take the plunge with full confidence. Join the wave Recent statistics reveal more career-minded women between 24-41 years old are buying homes than their male counterparts – a feel-good stat just in time for Women’s Month. And more good news is that as the gender pay gap slo...

3Aug

By Africa BusinessNo Comments

South Africa News, Tech

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 as they would to protect their office equipment or company-owned vehicles. Just as a business owner wouldn't underinsure a tangible business asset such as a factory, SMEs shouldn't leave their digital assets unlocked and in plain sight of criminals. In a business environment where every cent counts, preventative measures must be weighed against the costs of not having IT security prote...

1Aug

By Arjen de BruinNo Comments

Business, South Africa News

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 causal factors – declining resource quality, talent shortages, inefficient capital allocation and elevated input costs – as significant contributors to this growing challenge, it doesn’t ignore the integral role of workforce planning; advising mines to foster a culture that discourages rampant spending, keep employees engaged and clarify the business model, among other tactics. At OIM Consulting, where our focus is o...

27Jul

By Clinton LeaskNo Comments

Fintech, South Africa News

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 and other financial data from banks and non-bank financial institutions using application programming interfaces (APIs).1 Open banking allows the networking of accounts and data across institutions for use by consumers, financial institutions, and third-party service providers. Open banking became formally accepted in Europe through the European Union Second Payment Services Directive (PSD2) adopted in 2015 to facilitate a better ...