Tag Archives: South African Business

Clean Air Crucial for Curbing COVID-19 Spread and Upping Productivity in Workplaces. Four Ways Clean Air is Better for Business

South Africa is bracing itself for a third COVID-19 wave. According to scientists, this is due to the slow start to the vaccination programme and relaxed level 1 restrictions. Finance Minister Tito Mboweni has stated that: “If that third wave comes, it should be managed (in such a way) that we keep the economy going […]

Setting South Africa’s small and medium-sized enterprises Up for Success

South Africa’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) represent more than 98% of registered businesses, employ between 50% and 60% of the country’s workforce, and are responsible for a quarter of job growth in the private sector[i]. “It’s no wonder then that these companies are the country’s hope for economic recovery. But what is being done to […]

South African business, AURA, expands into East Africa with new Kenyan office and GM

AURA, South Africa’s leading security and medical response platform, has announced its imminent expansion into Kenya which will be led by its new General Manager, Hilary Itela. Partnering with KK Security, owned by GardaWorld, Aura will offer its emergency and medical response services in Nairobi and Mombasa. Warren Myers, CEO, AURA says that the intention is to address the […]

Why ecommerce matters for small businesses in SA

Trevor Gosling, Co-founder and CEO of Lulalend

There has been a permanent change in the way that people shop and, in turn, the way that businesses need to operate. In the absence of brick-and-mortar stores being open during the lockdown, as well as a general fear of crowded malls when things were able to re-open, South Africa’s ecommerce sector exploded. According to […]

Efficient Payment Solutions Essential for SME Survival

Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) have long been hailed as the lifeblood of the economy. Now, in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis, they are critical for its recovery. Not only do they contribute 35-50% of national GDP globally, they also drive over two-thirds of new job creation[i]. Ultimately, the more SMEs succeed, the better our […]

South African Fintech enabler, Ukheshe Technologies, confirm global expansion

Leading South African digital fintech enablement provider, Ukheshe Technologies has confirmed it is expanding its operations internationally. Having established itself as a formidable payment technology specialist within the B2B sector, the company has set its sights on the Middle East, Europe and Asia Pacific. The move comes on the back of several successful high-profile projects and partnerships […]

New Export Tax on Chrome Ore Intended to Resurrect the Ferrochrome Industry, but challenges prevail

By Prenisha Govender, Associate, Tax, and Angelo Tzarevski, Senior Associate, Competition & Antitrust, Baker McKenzie Johannesburg  The South African Government recently approved a tax on South Africa’s exported chrome, although the tax percentage and further details are still to be announced. The ferrochrome ore industry has been severely threatened in recent years, mostly due to […]

Brimstone Repays More Than R1 Billion Debt In Tough Reporting Period

Debt repayment to funders in excess of R1 billion Reduction of R129.8m in finance costs 7m raised from disposal of portion of Equites and Phuthuma Nathi stakes 4m raised from disposal of portion of Life Healthcare stake Improved debt and liquidity ratios Brimstone’s shareholding in Oceana Group increased to 25.01% [Cape Town, 3 March 2021] […]

Immense impact of 4IR technologies on African economies to be addressed through South African lawyer’s World Economic Forum’s Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution fellowship

Ashlin Perumall, Senior Associate at Baker McKenzie in Johannesburg, South Africa, has taken up the role of Fellow at the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR) in San Francisco. As part of his C4IR Fellowship, Perumall has joined the blockchain and digital currency working group, working on the legal and […]

Make your money work harder and smarter by using your home loan to save

By: Andrea Tucker, Director at MortgageMe We get it. The thought of paying off a house every month for the next 20 to 30 years isn’t exactly thrilling. But if managed carefully, you can use your bond to your advantage and build a nest egg of savings for life’s little and not-so-little emergencies. The why […]

HAVAÍC expects bumper year for African tech startups

As one of South Africa’s most active Venture Capital investors, HAVAÍC says 2020 saw the commercial adoption of technology increase at unprecedented rates, as illustrated by the performance of HAVAÍC and its portfolio companies. 2020 saw HAVAÍC’s portfolio companies grow their revenue by a staggering 93%, and in the coming months, Ian Lessem, Managing Partner at HAVAÍC, believes the economic, […]

R500k up for grabs in the 2021 Joburg Smart City Innovation Challenge

Are you a 4IR Start-up? Have you been in operation for 3-7 years? Are you a company developing Smart City technologies and/or innovative solutions? Do you have a pilot-ready solution for a challenge faced by our city? The City of Johannesburg’s Smart City Office, in collaboration with Tshimologong Innovation Precinct, invites you to submit proposals for […]

Deal making slows across Africa but post-pandemic opportunities look interesting

Africa-regions. Source: Wikipedia

Deal making activity in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) dropped in the second half of 2020 (H2 2020), when compared to the second half of 2019 (H2 2019) and year-on-year, deals were also down in both volume and value compared to 2019. As the continent gears up for post-pandemic recovery in 2021, the opportunities presented by free […]

SMMEs primed for growth as economy slowly takes steps to recover

While South Africa’s economy took a series of blows over the last year, business owners remain confident that things will slowly start to stabilise in 2021. This was reaffirmed with South Africa’s SACCI business confidence index rising to 93.4 in November of 2020 from 92 in October, above pre-pandemic levels. According to Trevor Gosling, Co-founder […]

High-Impact Entrepreneurs Raise 4x Capital Year-On-Year

Endeavor empowers entrepreneurs for business growth Despite prolonged global market uncertainty, Endeavor South Africa has reported significant growth in their portfolio of disruptive tech businesses. The local chapter of the global non-profit organisation, which supports high-impact entrepreneurs in emerging markets, reported collective raises of R2bn in 2020 alone amongst the portfolio of 29 businesses, compared […]

Fighting Fraud in 2021

Photo Credit: Tima Miroshnichenko (Pexels.com)

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a drastic impact not only on people’s health and wellbeing, but on that of businesses too. This was especially poignant for many companies that had to venture into the online world for the first time. Unsurprisingly, the uncertainty that coincided with the sudden digital migration created the perfect opportunity for […]

South Africa on a clear path to benefit from trade in manufactured goods with other African countries

View from the Carlton Centre, Africa's tallest building. Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa. Photo Credit: Adamina (www.flickr.com).

By Virusha Subban, Partner Specialising in Customs and Trade, Baker McKenzie Johannesburg President Cyril Ramaphosa outlined the country’s Economic Recovery Plan on Thursday 15 October 202o, during which he explained that South Africa  imported goods (excluding oil) are worth around ZAR1.1 trillion annually, and that if just 10% of these were manufactured locally, the country would add 2% to its Gross Domestic […]

Why is the fintech industry flourishing in Africa in 2020?

South Africa is moving very fast in the direction of the FinTech industry. The country is very determined not to be behind the whole show. They are also relaxing the regulations in order to help the flourishing of the FinTech industry. How South African FinTech development is transforming the foreign exchange landscape In South Africa, […]

Why South Africans Are Setting Up Business in Dubai

Nightscape of the high-rise section of Dubai, Unitd Arab Emirates.

The UAE serves as a key location for investors from South Africa. Whether it’s through Dubai mainland or a Dubai free zone, South Africans continue to reach out to UAE business setup advisors and Dubai business setup consultants for their company setup needs. It is estimated that 60,000 to 80,000 South Africans reside in the Emirates, and many iconic South […]

How can barcodes help your small business? The Benefits explored:

When you think of barcodes, the first thing that springs to mind is probably shopping at a big supermarket. I bet you didn’t know that barcodes can actually be an invaluable asset to any business, big or small? This is because, while huge warehouse establishments have successfully implemented barcoding systems for years, it was only […]

EIGHT OUT OF TEN COMPANIES STEP ON TO THE CLOUD

  Johannesburg, South Africa: 11:30am 10 October 2012 – Nearly 80 per cent of organisations either use Cloud computing in their business or are planning to do so over the next 12 months, an audience of South African business executives heard today. Visitors to the Cloud and Virtualization Africa Summit attended a workshop by KeyedIn® […]

Explore business process outsourcing in the South African context and climate at CEM Africa Summit

  Explore business process outsourcing in the South African context (Microsoft Word) The anticipated Customer Experience Management Africa Summit will be held in Cape Town from 2 to 3 August 2012. The event will bring together Africa’s industry leaders, and provide a unique platform to build relationships, share ideas and most importantly, to do business. […]