SABC Education African EduWeek Awards

The country’s leading teachers, suppliers, institutions and education professionals will be recognised and celebrated at the inaugural African EduWeek Awards that will take place at Gallagher Convention Centre, Johannesburg on 1 July. It forms part of the ninth annual SABC Education African EduWeek, which is expected to gather more than 4000 teaching professionals and more than 120 local and international exhibitors at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand.

“We regard the launch of the African EduWeek Awards as long overdue”, says event director Tanya Jackman. “The awards aim to recognise excellence across the education ecosystem. From the inception of the most innovative and life-changing products and/or services to our local heroes who go above and beyond to assist their communities and the lives of our precious learners.”



She adds: “it is gratifying to see how much excitement these awards have already created in the sector. We plan a beautiful, glamorous, sold-out evening, fit to honour and celebrate those organisations, companies, teachers and education professionals who have been responsible for pioneering new frontiers, pushing boundaries, for inspiring others and for achieving growth in education in Africa.”

“We remain an event for the education sector and by the education sector”, she continues, “and invite all teaching professionals on the continent to send us their nominations and we look forward to sharing their triumphs with their peers.”

Global education and publishing giant Pearson is the leading sponsor for the awards. “As an education company, contributing towards uplifting and recognizing the great success of some of the great work that the nominees have put towards making a difference in education is an honour to us.”, says Riaan Jonck, CEO of Pearson Education. “We hope to not only acknowledge the great work that has been done, but to further inspire them and others to keep going for a South Africa that we can be really proud of in the future.”

We also look forward to sharing our Award-giving platform with Argo, a multi-media solutions provider who will be presenting two awards on the night.

The Stars in Education Teachers Award honours our teachers, who inspire both learners and their communities. The campaign is organised by Argo who have partnered with the leading education publisher, Pearson South Africa, to honour and celebrate our teachers who go beyond the call of duty to inspire others. The national campaign has been profiled for 6 months on Metro FM, Mindset TV, leading education digital and social media platforms and supported by NGO’s to encourage teachers to enter and vote for each other.

The Future Stars Award recognises our youth and encourages them to believe in the power of education to change their world. The campaign is also organised by Argo Marketing, who believe in partnerships to inspire impact. CTI and MGI are the leading education providers for youth, and are invested in the future of South Africa. The national campaign has been profiled on Mindset TV, the leading youth event, SABC Education Career Indaba, as well as www.sastudy.co.za , www.studentbrands.co.za and social media to encourage youth to believe in themselves and apply early to get ahead for the future. The winners will also be announced at African EduWeek at a glittering evening to celebrate achievement in education.

Award Categories:



Awards for suppliers and/or distributors



Presented to suppliers and/or distributors that supply education establishments with high quality, safe products appropriate to every day teaching and learning needs.



Categories:



-          Basic Education

-          Higher Education

-          Early Childhood Development

-          Special Needs

-          ICT



Innovation Product Award

This award will be given to a product or service that demonstrates clearly that is new, original and ahead of current thinking.





Awards for teachers, schools and education professionals



Environment Award
This award aims to recognise those institutions or individuals that can demonstrate a positive impact either within their school or community of their sustainable initiatives either by increasing environmental awareness or by positively contributing to a more sustainable approach.



Community Award

This award will be presented to an educational establishment or individual who can demonstrate real value to the community it serves through the most imaginative attempt to aid the wider community socially, culturally or economically.



NGO of the Year

This award will be presented to a non-governmental organisations that can demonstrate real value to the community it serves through the most imaginative attempt to aid the wider community socially, culturally or economically.

Hospitality Sector's Minimum Wage Increased

South Africa’s Hospitality Sector minimum wage has been adjusted upward with effect from 1 July 2015.

The change in the minimum wage is in line with the Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA) which empowers Labour Minister Mildred Oliphant to adjust wages in the sector.

According to the Department of Labour, the new minimum wage will be applicable until 30 June 2016.

In terms of the new Sectoral Determination, the minimum wages for employers with 10 or less employees the rates will apply as follows: Monthly R2 760,59 (2015/2016) from R2 601,88 (2014/15), Weekly R637,10 (2015/16) from R600,48 (2014/2015) and Hourly rates will be adjusted to R14,15 (2015/16) from R13,34 in (2014/2015).

The new minimum wages for employers with 10 or more employees it will apply as follows: Monthly rates will increase to R3 076,98 (2015/16) from R2 900,08 in (2014/2015), Weekly R710,12 (2015/16) from R669,30 (2014/2015) and Hourly rates will be adjusted to R15,77 from R14,87 in (2014/2015).

The Sectoral Determination covers any commercial business or part of a commercial business in which employers and workers are associated for the purpose of carrying on or conducting one or more of the following activities for reward in a hotel, motel, inn, resort, game lodge, hostel, guest house, guest farm or bed and breakfast establishment including short stay accommodation, self-catering, timeshares, camps, and caravan parks.

It also includes restaurants, pubs, taverns, cafés, tearooms, coffee shops, fast food outlets, snack bars, industrial or commercial caterers, function caterers, contract caterers and includes all activities or operations incidental to or subsequent on any of the activities mentioned above.

The Hospitality Sector Sectoral Determination excludes workers and employers involved in the trade of letting of flats, rooms and/or houses.

It also excludes all workers and employers covered by another Sectoral Determination in terms of the Basic Conditions of Employment Act. It further excludes areas that are covered by a Statutory Council or a Bargaining Council.

The current wage increases have been determined by utilising the CPI (excluding owners’ equivalent rent) reported by Stats SA in April 2015.

The current level of CPI is 4.6%. The minimum wage increases is therefore determined by adding 4.6% plus 1.5% as stated in the current Sectoral Determination. The total increase is 6.1%.

– SAnews.gov.za

Forbes Names 100 Most Powerful Women

Forbes magazine has released their annual list of the world’s most powerful women.

The list features some powerful women in politics, multinational corporations, finance, philanthropy, education and entertainment.

A lot didn’t change about the list from last year as Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel made it to number one again which brought her tally at poll position to nine times.

American presidential hopeful Hilary Clinton is on Merkel’s tail at number two while Michelle Obama rounded up the top 10.

Other familiar faces and names include Oprah Winfrey who sits at number twelve and Beyoncé who is positioned at number 21 while Angelina Jolie, Sofia Vergara, Taylor Swift and Shakira took the 54th, 57th, 64th and 81st positions respectively.

The first female president of an African state Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf just made it at 96.

Media Giants Caxton Launch Caxton TV

Caxton has officially launched its latest offering, Caxton TV. At an event at its offices in Randburg the media group unveiled more details about its new venture. Michael Bratt attended the event and spoke to the role-players.

Before the announcement Anton Botes, general manager of Caxton Magazines, said, “Caxton is very bullish about its magazines and brand.” He also revealed the three pillars which underpin the media group’s business: client facing, solutions and, at the top of the agenda, innovation.

Explaining how the idea for Caxton TV came about Clive Vandervagen, head of client strategy at Caxton Magazines, said, “We looked at how magazines still matter. They are an emotional buy. But we wanted to put our money where our mouth is and expand our great content further through the creation of Caxton Television.” He went on to say that when Caxton says television, it is not only on the big screen but also through videos for the internet and mobile phones.

The first programme created under the Caxton TV banner aired in the last week of April. It was called Bona Mo, a creation that was associated with Bona Magazine. This particular magazine was chosen as a tie in because it was the easiest to roll out as it is uniquely South African. Bona Mo, which was paid for by Unilever, has already seen positive results with Unilever seeing a massive increase in entrants into the competition which it promoted through the programme. As with the Bona Mo campaign, going forward HB Pictures is partnering with Caxton to produce the video content.

Vandervagen explained that a partnership with HB Pictures was important because venturing into video content is expensive, but it is necessary. When asked why HB Pictures was chosen as a partner, Vandervagen said they came in with the most competitive price when requests were put out for quotes.

For the Bona Mo campaign, Debbie McIntyre, head of insights at Caxton Magazines, said the idea was to run content across multiple platforms including Bona Magazine, social media, Caxton’s website and TV. Future campaigns may also run using this approach. However she added that, “to run every single campaign across every single platform is expensive so most of the time we will tailor content for the most suitable platform”. However the production of video by Caxton is not completely new. The media group had previously created videos for Clover and Knorr.

Vandervagen explained why Caxton’s new offering will appeal to its clients. “We will create bespoke content for television and online using our brands to speak about your brands. There is credibility associated with our brands.” During the launch Caxton used the tagline, “It’s not our history that sets us apart, it’s our future.” Vandervagen concluded the launch by saying that Caxton was not launching television because it likes television but because it loves its magazine brands. He said the group believes it will enhance its magazine content, which is its primary focus, by offering it across multiple platforms.

Aside from its new TV offering, Caxton has three of the top five most read magazines in South Africa under its stable, including the only publication that is written in four different languages, Bona magazine. The media house also recently created an Insights Department to improve the client facing pillar and to deliver solutions. McIntyre, who runs the new division, says it is running effectively because, “We have a great balance between experience and youth.” She also emphasised multiple times that the department has a lot of resources, which are drawn on, to ensure that the needs of clients are fully met and exceeded. - The Media Online

Famous Brands Revenue Soars

South Africans may be feeling the financial pinch, but they’re still willing, and able to spend their hard-earned cash on fast food and eating out.

This is reflected in Famous Brands’ strong year-end results, which show that the franchisor grew revenue for the 14th consecutive year.

On Monday, the group, which owns fast food and beverage brands including Steers, Debonairs, Tasha’s, Mugg & Bean and House of Coffees, reported increased revenue and operating profits that grew by 16% and 19% respectively during the financial year ending 28 February.

Famous Brands opened 258 new restaurants over the year and ran at a “best-ever” 20,5% operating margin, while headline earnings grew to 467 cents per share, up by 15%.

“This strong set of results, delivered in extremely testing trading conditions, is a reflection of robust system-wide sales by the franchised brand portfolio and continued improvement in efficiencies and cost containment in the logistics and manufacturing divisions,” said group CEO Kevin Hedderwick.

Famous Brands has franchise divisions in this country, across Africa and the UK, as well as operations in the Middle East.

“Across the group’s total franchise network system-wide sales (which include new restaurants opened) increased 10%, while like-on-like sales grew 4%. A record number of 258 new restaurants were opened across the brand portfolio, bringing the total restaurant network to 2 545. During the period 160 restaurants were revamped,” Hedderwick said.
“Furthermore, our ambition is to expand the group’s presence in the table-service evening-dining environment, which affords strong growth opportunities for the business. Supplementing an internal focus on existing brands with offerings relevant to this market, management will also continue to explore suitable acquisition opportunities related specifically to this dining occasion.”

The group plans to up its Africa expansion strategy, planning to open 35 new restaurants on the continent, including a first-time entry into Ghana.

Hedderwick does, however, warn that weak economic growth and political and labour uncertainty will continue to put pressure on consumer spending.

“In this context, growth in the forthcoming period is expected to be muted,” he said.

Additional reporting: News24Wire

Eastern Cape To Get Free Wi-Fi

The Eastern Cape will be getting free WiFi in the near future thanks to non-profit organisation Project Isizwe, run by Alan Knott-Craig jnr.

The group previously made free WiFi a possibility in Tshwane in 2013.

New projects in Tshwane are underway, with the introduction of an internet TV service, as well as an instant messaging platform.

According to a report by Businesstech.com, the service is now available in 96 Wards with 575 live sites. Project Isizwe has 161 577 users, up from just 1 567 in 2013.

Tshwane mayor Kgosiento Ramokgopa confirmed in early May that more than 1800 new areas would be deployed for free WiFi.

The NGO confirmed to iAfrica.com that the for the free WiFi initiative launch in the Eastern Cape will be June 17 this year.

Knott-Craig jnr, said, “The Eastern Cape is ideal because it is as rural as you get and densely populated. Until we solve connectivity problem there, SA will always have a problem. The idea is for the Department of Higher Education to deploy free Wi-Fi on campus and for surrounding communities (where students live) throughout the country”.

Understanding Shares

By Strive Masiyiwa

When I was still only 17 years old, I asked an elderly gentleman who was a headmaster at a school, about buying shares on a stock exchange. He was not particularly rich, but every day he would get a newspaper and begin to look at the stock prices, in much the same way many of you read the sports news.

"Do you need to be very rich to buy shares?" I asked him.
"Not really. Here in England, even working class people, like me, can also buy shares, if they know what they are doing."
"Can you teach me, sir?"
"Of course, I can. Why don't we start you trading right away!"
"But I have no money!"
He told me to bring a clean note book, which would act as my book on buying and selling stock.

"Let's create a fictitious £1000, as your share buying account.
Now what I want you to do is to choose some companies, and pretend you have bought some shares, using your money. And every day you must check how your companies are doing."

In less than half an hour, I was studying the stock prices of companies, and choosing which ones to buy with my £1000. I carefully wrote down which ones I liked.
Soon I was checking every day, how I was doing.

"The trick is to get to know your businesses. Remember you have "shares" which means you are a part owner in these businesses." He said to me gently.
Before long, I had become disciplined in checking prices of "my companies", because I had a "share" holding in these companies. If I heard anything mentioned about these companies, I was quick to check.

"Do your research, son; you must know "your" businesses. Those big managers, they work for you... Its your business, not just theirs."
Soon I was passionately debating companies with him, and others...just like some of you discuss sports scores. Only these scores could make me money!

When my companies were not doing well I would get distressed, and if they did well I got excited. If they paid a dividend, I recorded it in my book.
"Easy, isn't it?"
"Very easy, sir."
"You will be a millionaire one day."
"I hope so sir."
That was a long time ago.
There is an expression in my mother tongue, which literally translated means, "don't fear from a distance."

But you know I prefer bible:
"My people perish for lack of knowledge."
There are people coming from far and wide to buy shares in your country, who will make money from opportunities at your door step. Via Facebook

Africa's Top Twenty

1. Africa’s mobile industry is a success story that remains one of the best investment opportunities on the continent, with subscription numbers set to jump by 50% to 930 million by 2019, according to Sweden’s Ericsson. Penetration rates have exploded faster than anywhere else in the world, climbing to more than 75% by the middle of last year from around 1% in 2000 – fast closing in on the global rate of more than 90%. Revenues from the industry are set to rise from $60 billion in 2012 to $119 billion by 2020, which will be around 8% of Africa’s gross domestic product (GDP), higher than comparable regions. The industry’s also an important employment-creator: jobs generated are expected to rise from 3,3 million at present to 6,6 million in 2020. The trend’s largely been driven by rising incomes and falling costs, while mobile telephony has leap-frogged over fixed-line coverage. Mobile payments are also booming, with money transfers set to exceed $200 billion this year. Kenya’s biggest mobile operator, Safricam, has an annual transaction volume equivalent to one-quarter of the country’s GDP, while Zimbabwe’s Econet offers the cheapest services in the world and has become the first telecoms company in sub-Saharan Africa.


2. The value of African share offerings last year surged to $11 billion – roughly the same amount raised over the previous two years – while the capital raised through initial public offerings (IPOs) more than doubled to $1,7 billion, compared with 2013. The rapid pace of increase is being driven by the expansion of the continent’s economies, which have notched up average growth of 5,5% over the past 20 years, making Africa the second-fastest-growing region in the world, after Asia. Liberalisation of stock exchange regulations, together with regional harmonisation, have also been key. SA remains dominant, but only accounted for 44% of total IPO capital raised in 2014, as investor appetite for other markets on the continent improved.

3. Africa’s middle class is booming, offering an increasingly attractive market for consumer goods and services provided by both global and domestic companies. Consumer spending already accounts for nearly two-thirds of the continent’s gross domestic product and is expected to double to $1 trillion by 2020, reaching $2,2 trillion by 2030. There are already 900 million consumers in Africa and the region’s total population is expected to more than double to 2,4 billion by 2050, making it bigger than that of either India or China. Estimates vary, but Standard Bank believes the number of middle-class households in 11 key sub-Saharan African countries rocketed to 15 million from 4,6 million in 2000. The total’s expected to grow to 40 million households by 2030.

4. Confidence isn’t an issue for Ugandan Proscovia Oromait, who became Africa’s youngest Member of Parliament in 2012 at the age of 19, after winning the Usuk County election for the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) in the Ugandan government with more than 54% of the vote. The youngest legislator in the world at that time, Oromait decided to run for the Parliamentary seat previously filled by her father a few months after he died. However, she isn’t exactly following in his footsteps – he wasn’t a member of the NRM, but was an independent, and her focus is on the environment, education, health policy and gender issues. Opposition parties scornfully described her ascent as “juvenile politics”, but in a country where nearly half the population are under 25, it can be argued that she’s ideally positioned to reflect the views of Ugandans. At present she’s juggling her Parliamentary duties with studying for a Bachelor of Mass Communications degree at Uganda Christian University near Kampala.

5. Nigeria’s Nollywood has become one of the continent’s best-known phenomena since it evolved into a booming industry in the late 1990s, gaining markets in the country and elsewhere. It’s now the world’s second-largest film industry after India and ahead of the USA, valued at more than $7 billion, or around 1,4% of the economy (excluding the black market). Hollywood films have been nudged off the shelves, outsold by Nigerian productions in the country and distributed in some of the most remote areas on the continent, despite their relatively higher prices. Around 1 200 movies are produced annually in genres ranging from action to romance, gospel and horror. Some attribute their appeal to a greater family orientation, although the use of English – rather than local languages – has helped fuel their success.

6. Work is underway to transform Kenya’s booming information and communication technology (ICT) sector into a purpose-built hub dubbed the “silicon savannah”, with a price tag of $14,5 billion. The government hopes Konza Techno City, which is being built on 2 023ha of land 64km south of Nairobi, will create 200 000 jobs in business outsourcing by the time it’s completed in 2019. With Konza hosting a science park, convention centre, hotels and international schools, the long-term aim is to make it a world-class destination for ICT business, education and research. Kenya’s made solid headway towards achieving this ambitious goal: the country’s ICT sector already contributed 12% to GDP last year, compared with 9% in 2006. Critics say the techno city’s being placed too far from existing tech labs in Nairobi, but the World Bank’s funding the construction of a dual-carriage highway between the two centres, while China’s Huawei Technologies and Korea’s Samsung have already committed to a presence there.

7. The increasing number of Africans who’ve come up with home-grown innovations and inventions which could benefit the continent can showcase their ingenuity at Maker Faire Africa, an annual event which aims to identify, support and propagate their work.  Launched in 2009, it’s been held in Accra (Ghana), Nairobi, Cairo (Egypt), Lagos (Nigeria) and Johannesburg, displaying ideas to tackle challenges in agriculture, health, education and power relevant to tiny African villages or big urban centres. In 2012, four teenage schoolgirls won international acclaim for inventing an electricity generator that runs on urine – not a completely new idea, but one with huge potential for a region where many people lack electricity and power shortages have become a way of life. Other innovations have ranged from corn-planters to machines for making rope from grass, a prototype for solar-powered traffic lights and craft jewellery from discarded bones.

One of Africa’s homegrown creations.

8. Mosunmola Abudu is often described as ‘Africa’s Oprah Winfrey’, but the glamorous Nigerian talk show host, TV producer, human resources management consultant and entrepreneur may have accomplished even more. Her TV talk show, Moments With Mo, was the first of its kind on African regional TV when it was launched in 2006 and is now available to eight million viewers across 48 countries. In addition to showcasing Africa, Abudu’s hosted guests as diverse as US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, International Monetary Fund Chief Christine La Garde and former South African President and Nobel Laureate FW de Klerk. Two years ago she launched EbonyLife, Africa’s first pan-African TV channel, which targets 18- to 34-year-olds in the continent’s growing middle class. “Not every African woman has a pile of wood strapped over her head and a baby strapped to her back!” she declared at the time.

9. Mozambique design collective Piratas do Pau (PdP) – which employs and trains under-privileged youth in Maputo – has launched a premium furniture collection made of scrap wood. It uses a combination of pinewood from recycled pallets and umbila, a local hardwood, to create coffee tables, cupboards and shelving units. All products are sold locally and PdP both reduces waste and encourages people to consider recycling, rather than buying new or imported items.

A creation by the Piratas do Pau design collective

10. South African fast food chain Nando’s is one of the continent’s most successful retail brands, expanding to more than 1 000 locations in 30 countries and five continents since opening its first restaurant in 1987. Its sales had climbed 10% to more than £535 million in the UK alone by February 2014. Part of its appeal among young consumers can be attributed to its witty and often controversial commercials, including one which depicted Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe reflecting on happy moments as he dined with fallen dictators. Advertising Age magazine named Nando’s as one of the world’s top 30 hottest marketing brands in 2010.


11. Like an increasing number of other African designers, Ghanaian-born Akosua Afriyie-Kumi has created a luxury product inspired by her background, employing local craft workers with traditional skills. Her AAKS design label is the brand for a range of colourful, eclectic handbags woven by women in the rural community of Bolgatanga, in the northern region of the country, for export to the UK and SA. The handbags are woven from locally sourced raffia, an organic, natural, biodegradable fibre. Afriyie-Kumi markets them online, a strategy she believes is necessary to popularise African products.

12. Tourism is becoming increasingly important to the economies of many sub-Saharan African countries, with the number of visitors growing by 300% to 33,8 million from 1990-2012. Receipts from hotels, tours and other attractions rose to more than $36 billion and contributed around 2,8% of the region’s GDP, according to the World Bank. Faster growth as well as improved foreign perceptions of the region, are helping to drive the trend, although there are stubborn obstacles such as land ownership and transfer rights, access to finance, taxes on tourism investments, lack of security and daunting bureaucracy. The most popular destinations are South Africa, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Uganda, Swaziland and Tanzania.


13. Highlands Trout in Lesotho has literally burst onto the commercial fish-farming scene since it began harvesting trout in 2012, producing larger amounts than its neighbour SA and exporting hundreds of tonnes of fish to Japan for gourmet sushi.  Located 2 200m above sea level in the Maluti mountains near the Katse Dam – the continent’s second-largest – the fish are hatched from eggs imported from Denmark and fed on pellets imported from France until they reach approximately 2,8kg in weight, when they’re processed. The company’s fish harvested for exports have grown from 500 tonnes in 2012 to more than 1 500 tonnes last year and it expects this amount to rise to 4 000 tonnes by 2018. Japan takes 80% of its produce, while 15% goes to SA and the remaining 5% is sold locally. It aims to become the largest trout aquaculture project in Africa, uses environmentally sustainable farming methods and employs about 100 people, nearly all of whom are locals.

14. Swaziland’s House of Diva is one of the few fashion labels to be designed with curvaceous women in mind. Started by Phiwase Nxumalo, the ready-to-wear garments are inspired by fabrics sourced from the DRC, Malawi, Zambia, Kenya, Swaziland and SA. Her “Under the Sky” range of colourful dresses and skirts are available in sizes 30-52, with the main focus on women wearing sizes 40 and above. Nxumalo also designs jewellery made from materials such as wood, bright buttons and pearls. Although the clothes are only available in small quantities, they’re also affordable to middle-class Africans. “The fuller figure isn’t just yada yada – it’s what we do,” she said in a recent interview.

15. The number of dollar millionaires in Africa is growing faster than anywhere else in the world, increasing by 150% between 2000 and 2013. This 150% increase can be compared with a global growth rate of 73%, according to UK-based New World Wealth. Overall, the continent has 165 000 high net-worth individuals with a combined wealth of $660 billion. SA is the leader, with 48 800 millionaires, followed by Egypt with 23 000, Nigeria with 15 900 and Kenya with 8 400. However, the number of millionaires in Ethiopia, the Ivory Coast and Zambia is expected to grow the fastest over the next few years. Ghanaian capital Accra is likely to be the African city with the most rapidly growing group of millionaires, expected to increase by 8% annually until 2020.

16. Oliver ‘Tuku’ Mtukudzi is a Zimbabwean musician, businessman, philanthropist and human rights activist who’s arguably the most internationally recognised cultural icon to have emerged from that country. He sings in Zimbabwe’s dominant Shona language about political violence and the hardships of everyday life (without directly criticising the regime of President Robert Mugabe), incorporating different musical traditions and amassing a following across Africa and elsewhere after a series of overseas trips. Mtukudze’s released more than 45 albums which have sold millions of copies. He’s also a Unicef Goodwill Ambassador for eastern and southern Africa.

Picture: Getty Image

17. The DRC has introduced unique solar-powered, humanoid robots across Kinshasa in a bid to decrease the number of road accidents across high-traffic areas of the capital, and to replace corrupt policemen. The 2,4m robots, operated by the country’s National Commission for Road Safety, regulate traffic by raising and bending their steel arms and helping pedestrians to cross streets safely. Equipped with rotating chests and surveillance cameras, they’re made locally and designed by engineer Therese Izay, who runs a women’s technology co-operative in the DRC. She hopes the robots will be installed in cities across Africa and beyond, to create jobs for female engineers.

18. Linah Mohohlo has been Governor of the Bank of Botswana since 1999 and is known for both her skilful handling of the country’s monetary and financial policies and her outspoken, sometimes controversial views. During a panel discussion of top African officials in Johannesburg a few years ago, she said one of the biggest obstacles to the continent’s development was its work ethic. She also told a journalist at a dinner hosted by former SA Reserve Bank Governor Tito Mboweni that women did most of the work in Botswana. Mohohlo’s received a number of national and international awards and was named Central Bank Governor of the Year for Africa by both the Financial Times and Euromoney in 2001, 2003 and 2008, respectively. Forbes magazine ranked her among the 10 most powerful women in Africa in 2011.

19. Skateboarding in Uganda has literally grown in leaps and bounds, despite traffic, potholed streets and cracked sidewalks, and is now spreading to Tanzania and Kenya. Jackson Mburo kicked off the trend in 2006, when he personally built a skateboarding park in Kitintale, a suburb of Kampala, using cheap mortar and leftover bricks. To avoid paying a construction fee, he and his friends told the authorities they were building the enclosure for a pet crocodile. He went on to found the Uganda Skateboard Union, which aims to give the country’s youth access to a sport which will ward off boredom and demoralisation. Last year the organisation won the Skate-Aid award for 5 000 euros, presented at the annual Bright European Skateboard Awards in Germany.

20. ‘Black diamonds’ may have become the catch-phrase for SA’s rising African middle class, but in Namibia it refers to the black pelts produced by the country’s Swakara brand and derived from its Karakul sheep industry. Swakara experienced a recent rise in demand from big European fashion houses, with 64 462 pelts sold at a bi-annual auction in Copenhagen, Denmark, last year. A black pelt fetched a record price of N$2 964 from Elena Furs of Moscow. Namibia produces 140 000 pelts per year, harvested from new-born Karakul lambs which originate from the desert regions of Central Asia. Brought to the country by German colonists, they cost so little to rear that a producer can take home 90% of sale proceeds.

THIS ARTICLE FIRST APPEARED IN THE MAY 2015 ISSUE OF DESTINY

Sorele Media Launches Online TV

Sorele Media has launched its online TV – the Aza TV, aiming to provide excellent lifestyle and entertainment content. The TV is live from today.

The founders, Stephina Zwane and Salamina Mosese are passionate about providing alternatives to media consumption and distribution; in line with industry and market trends.

“Aza TV is not only about breaking new ground, but also about answering some of the world’s best questions about Africa,” says director and co-founder Salamina Mosese.

What makes Aza TV so appealing is that it is easily accessible from the comfort of your home and even when you are on the move.

This is all made possible through the website and free mobile app that can be downloaded. Giving viewers the power to join the revolution in shifting and influencing how Africa sees itself.

The young and dynamic team at Aza TV has created content that is engaging and relevant to its specific audience. “We want people to know that we are serious about Africa,” explains Mosese.

“We have rich, bold and powerful stories to share; and Aza TV will give that content a voice.”

Aza TV will host both originally-produced content and at a later stage content bought from producers across the continent, to appeal to a vast audience.

Shows such as Aza Muzika; Yummy Mammi and The Sit Down will ensure that viewers have access to relevant and authentic shows right at the tip of their fingers.

Miller Launches 'Sound Clash' In South Africa

Miller Genuine Draft today announced that South Africa would be one of the 12 countries participating in Miller’s global music platform, Miller SOUNDCLASH, this year, following on from its neighbours Botswana, Zimbabwe and Swaziland who took part in 2014.

Miller SOUNDCLASH is the ultimate international global DJ search competition and is open for entry to all DJs globally hosted by Mix Cloud, a global music streaming service which offers a blanket music license and can legally host DJ mixes. Miller SOUND CLASH South Africa brings a high energy fresh twist to the competition by encouraging competition entries to submit mixes that Mash-up Hip Hop, House or other  suitable South African music genres to Electronic Dance Music. This fresh twist to the competition will ensure that the winner of Sound Clash South Africa is able bring a South African beat to the popular EDM sound of Las Vegas.

In search of the South African winner who will battle it out against other international finalists, Miller will host a local heat in Johannesburg with local judges DJ Sphe and Naves of Metro FM. An additional renowned DJ personalitywill be announced later this month, and will feature on the judging panel.

Miller SOUNDCLASH will culminate in a grand finale on-site DJ battle in Las Vegas with the winners of all the different countries performing at a premium Las Vegas super club in late September 2015.

The South African Miller SOUNDCLASH winner will be offered a once in a lifetime experience in Las Vegas. The 5-day programme will take the winning DJs behind the velvet ropes of the city’s elite clubbing scene, after which one final winner will take the grand prize.


The 12 participating countries this year including South Africa are Japan, South Korea, Turkey, Paraguay, Columbia, Canada, Hungary, Turkey, Dominican Republic, Panama, Argentina, and Costa Rica.
‘The Miller SOUNDCLASH is a fresh global property and allows the MGD brand to support new local talent in the music industry. The Miller SOUNDCLASH will partner with DJ Mag and Mix Cloud to facilitate engagement between our upcoming local and the international DJ’s,’ says Marketing Manager Themba Ratsibe.

Miller SOUNDCLASH entries are now open and aspiring local DJ’s are invited to load their music on Mix Cloud with the hashtag #MillerSoundClashSA over the next 5 weeks. Entries close on 21 June 2015 go to www.millersa.co.za for competition details.

LOCAL PRIZE INCLUDES:
·         Title of SA’s number Sound Clash DJ
·         Access to exclusive MGD Mansion Las Vegas
·         5 star Stay at 4 nights
·         All Travel costs (VIP)
·         Access to all the hottest clubs in Vegas
·         Daily Perdiem
·         Mentorship with DJ Sphe and Naves
·         Support on partner social channels – Mixcloud and DJ Mag
·         Custom DJ merchandise courtesy of V-Moda and UDG
·         Ambassadorial support from MGD Global

INTERNATIONAL PRIZE INCLUDES:
·         Title of the ultimate Sound Clash Global DJ Champion
·         DJ Mag editorial support
·         Support on partner social channels – Mixcloud and DJ Mag
·         Custom DJ merchandise courtesy of V-Moda and UDG
·         Ambassadorial support from MGD Global
·         DJ Gig at a Las Vegas superclub
·         DJ Mag Profiling piece

Enjoy Responsibly. Not for Sale to Persons Under the Age of 18.

*Press Release

SA Repo Rate Expected To Remain Unchanged

While consumers may be spared from forking out more money on outstanding debt for now, economists warn that the respite could come to an end soon.

The general consensus among 13 economists polled by Business Day is that Kganyago will once again warn, as he did at the last meeting in March, about higher interest rates as inflation is expected to rise in the coming months.

Both Kganyago and his predecessor Gill Marcus have warned that the Reserve Bank is currently in an interest rate raising cycle.

“In making the decision to leave rates unchanged, the Reserve Bank stressed that inflation is expected to move noticeably higher over the coming months and is expected to peak at 6,7% in the first quarter of 2016 driven by higher food inflation as well as a low base effect,” commented Stanlib chief economist Kevin Lings at the last MPC meeting.

“It is clear that the next move in SA interest rates is likely to be higher given the upside risk to SA inflation. This is despite the ongoing weakness in the domestic economy.”

The economists also expect the MPC to upwardly revise its inflation outlook as the global oil price begins to recover from record lows over the past six months.

The last time the SARB adjusted interest rates was in September last year.

Economists say petrol and electricity hikes, a weakening rand as well as rising food inflation is driving inflation above the SARB’s 3% to 6% target range for the year at 6,7%.

They also warn that the inflation outlook could deteriorate further if the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) approves Eskom’s additional application to raise electricity tariffs for the second time this year.

If approved, the price of electricity would go up by over 25% this year alone.

Nersa is expected to announce its decision at the end of June.

The MPC could also potentially revise its economic growth forecasts from 2,2% to 2% as the economy remains stagnant.

Source: Business Day

How 3 Entrepreneurs Are Helping Others Identify Business Opportunities

Entrepreneurship has been hailed as one of the most crucial ways to alleviate poverty and create jobs in South Africa. However, a lack of exposure to opportunities means many small business owners are forced to close shop before too long. Madoda Khuzwayo, Mnive Nhlabathi and Sivu Maqungo plan to change that trend.

With first-hand experience of the challenges entrepreneurs face, the trio wanted to find a way for small business owners to quickly and simply access business opportunities.

“In 2013 I realised how many opportunities there are in government and the private sector that entrepreneurs don’t know about; I mean the government spends about R500 billion a year just procuring services. And you also have the private sector and small businesses doing business with each other.

So we asked ourselves how we could create a system that would simplify the process of finding business opportunities for entrepreneurs. It’s a question that arose from our own pain and struggles as entrepreneurs,” Khuzwayo says.

With a background in technology, Khuzwayo, Nhlabathi and Maqungo’s objective was to provide a one-stop shop for entrepreneurs, where they would not only find info about the latest government tenders or private-sector contracts, but also be able to network and collaborate with other entrepreneurs.

They realised that a social networking site offering business, networking and funding opportunities was the solution.

So, in June 2014, they established their first business social network – OpenTenders – and officially launched it in September. Within a month of the launch, approximately two thousand entrepreneurs had logged on.

The biggest challenge for many entrepreneurs who are starting out is that they manage to find that first contract, but it takes quite some time to get another. Our platform helps them identify other opportunities

“It’s a social media platform that works just like Facebook or LinkedIn, allowing entrepreneurs to register, create their own profile and connect with other entrepreneurs. It also gives them access to all tenders in the public and private sectors,” Nhlabathi explains. The network has also given many the opportunity to be subcontracted for work by other entrepreneurs.

“The biggest challenge for many entrepreneurs who are starting out is that they manage to find that first contract, but it takes quite some time to get another. Our platform helps them identify other opportunities and allows the big guys to spread their work amongst the smaller guys,” Maqungo says.

Currently subscribers pay a R99 monthly fee, but from 1 June subscription will be free.

Born and raised in Soweto, Nhlabathi’s science teacher inspired him to enter the IT industry. He landed a job in the Internet banking field, but realised after a few years that he was not cut out for the corporate world. His business venture with Khuzwayo and Maqungo is a result of his love of technology and passion for finding solutions to help entrepreneurs.

Khuzwayo hails from KwaZulu-Natal. A qualified electrical engineer, OpenTenders was his idea.

Maqungo holds a Masters in Law from the University of Pretoria. He worked at the South African Permanent Mission to the United Nations as a legal adviser and deputy to the ambassador. It was in this role that he discovered his passion for business and, after many years, quit his job to focus on entrepreneurship. - Destiny

Property Sales In Townships Gaining Greater Speed

According to an FNB price index, house prices in six major metros including Cape Town, Johannesburg and Ethekwini have risen by 11,6% in the first quarter of 2015.

Earlier this year the FNB price index also revealed that house growth in townships had outperformed major metro residential areas.

FNB household and property sector strategist John Loos earlier this year said the number of sales by first-time home-buyers stood at 25% and that the higher growth in previously disadvantaged areas was due to affordability.

“In short, affordability may be starting to become an increasing priority as the overall residential market strengthens, and this may play into the hands of former township markets, driving mildly superior house price inflation of late.”

With township houses being more affordable for first-time buyers than houses in more developed suburbs, estate agent Matseleng Mogodi, who owns Snooks Estates, told Times Live that he was not surprised by the report.

“Our buyers are typically first-time home-owners. They are young professionals starting out,” said Mogodi, adding that his agency had sold homes for up to R1,2 million.

The average house price in townships is R323 472, slightly higher than last year’s R304 562. “There can be no doubt that the affordable R350 000 to R600 000 price range sector of the market is where the activity is at, both in terms of sales and especially in terms of the demand for affordable rental accommodation,” Seeff chairman Samuel Seeff told Times Live.

“In fact, looking at the deeds office transactions you will note that anything between 30% and 45% of all transactions over the last year were in this price band.”

SOURCES: Times Live, Sapa.

Powerball Finds A New Home At e.tv

e.tv is officially the new broadcast home for Ithuba’s PowerBall draw show. The draw show which has handed out the biggest lottery jackpots since its commencement will air every Tuesdays and Fridays at 9PM from 2 June.

PowerBall Presenters: Lawrence Maleka and Katlego Danke

There are some fresh and exciting new changes in the pipeline. The PowerBall will be hosted by the dynamic television personalities, Katlego Danke and Lawrence Maleka. Katlego Danke is well known for her roles as Keketso Chaka on e.tv's Backstage and Dineo Mashaba on SABC 1's old Generations. Lawrence Maleka debuted his television career at Soweto TV and also presented Star Gist, a lifestyle show on Africa Magic.

Red Pepper Pictures in collaboration with set designer Michael Gill are designing a new contemporary set that incorporates the latest LED lighting and wide-screen ready technology. Produced by Red Pepper Pictures for the first time, the two presenters and the refreshed set look, are set to deliver a unique and engaging PowerBall draw show.

Says Monde Twala, e.tv’s Managing Director: “This is a warmly welcomed change. We hope that together with Ithuba, we will make more South Africans instant millionaires and in so doing change their lives. The programmes which are currently scheduled for 9pm on both days will start straight after the PowerBall draw.”

Since the first PowerBall draw in 2009, the show has handed out the biggest lottery jackpots in the South African lottery history making South Africa’s dreams come true. From Wednesday, 3 June 2015, the live LOTTO show will move to SABC 2.

Don’t miss this refreshed PowerBall draw show on Tuesdays and Fridays at 9PM from Tuesday 2 June on e.tv and e.tv HD channel 104 on OpenView HD.

Exclusive Designer Homeware Making Its Way To SA

The GRAYS brand is currently synonymous with local clothing, but this is set to change when the group’s designer homeware store launches at Melrose Arch, Johannesburg, in June 2015.

A first of its kind for South Africa, GRAYS Home promises to offer a unique shopping experience for both interior decorators and consumers with exceptional taste in decor.

Visitors can look forward to exclusive and luxurious designer homeware from brands such as HUGO BOSS Home, Calvin Klein Home, Ralph Lauren Home, Kenzo Maison and Olivier Desforges.

GRAYS Home’s exclusive range has been achieved by carefully selecting collections, combining decor with a highly personal style, boasting beautiful prints and a constant focus on quality.

“Our economic landscape has become more aggressive with certain categories and designer brands,” said Aasif Surtee, director of the Surtee Group. “In order to thrive you have to keep changing and evolving with the times. We are positive that our product range will allow consumers to create an extraordinary experience in their homes and along the way they will also become acquainted with a few of the world’s leading homeware brands.”

GRAYS Home will offer designer bedroom linen and bathroom concepts which will allow consumers to choose from a wide selection of exclusive bedspreads, fitted sheets, pillow cases, bath robes, towels and other home furnishings.

The Surtee Group currently owns GRAYS and Mamas & Papas, and manages international luxury brands such as True Religion, 7 For All Mankind, Emporio Armani, Paul Smith, Burberry, HUGO BOSS and many others.

Google And Twitter Reunite

Search engine giant, Google signed a deal with Twitter that gives Google access to ‘the Twitter Firehose’ of half a billion tweets a day, with Tweets now appearing in the search results.

Since 2011, comprehensive results from Twitter have been available in Google, and the companies have announced that Tweets filtering through to desktop search results are imminent.

Twitter and Google’s relationship has been rocky for four years, with Google rejecting Twitter’s proposal in 2011, when Twitter said that Google had to pay for the ‘firehose’, but all has been resolved.

Both parties have agreed that they would benefit more from a collaboration of efforts, rather than be corporate enemies.

The Twitter search integration helps Google get more real-time presence, as people spend most of their time on social media.

Facebook’s recent addition of a search in app option will pull loads of traffic away from Google, and this new deal helps fill some of that void.

Other than licensing fees, Google will not be paying for the ‘firehose’.

Kaya FM Presents Winter Jazz Festival

The national Winter Jazz Festival is back and Kaya FM will be resenting this year’s event happening on 12 and 13 June in Cape Town, Grand West Casino and Johannesburg, Carnival City.

The line-up includes R&B star Musiq Soulchild, the world-renowned South African-born musician Jonathan Butler with special guest Oleta Adams as well as other surprise home-grown guests.

South Africa’s favourite son (Jonathan Butler) returns home and this time he’s bringing his friends. The Grammy Award winning Butler is no stranger to the local music festival scene.

His Jazz, Soul and Gospel sounds make him a firm favourite on home turf. And this time, Jonathan is bringing fellow musicians Oleta Adams and Euge Groove from the US to connect with his roots.

These are some of the music industry’s hottest artists who will be jetting into South Africa to do a two-night performance in both Johannesburg and Cape Town to help dispel those mid-winter blues.

The program runs parallel over both evenings of Friday 12th and Saturday 13th June to give fans in both cities equal opportunity to enjoy the show.

Oleta Adams brings the perfect foil for Butler together with her own brand of R&B and Soul, which without a doubt will be a winner with the local fans.

Making his South African debut, Euge Groove boasts nine studio albums and thirteen number ones behind his name – although his music is no stranger to South African ears as he has topped many local radio charts.

The second international line up to grace the stage is the legendary Musiq Soulchild – all the way from the USA – which is bound to be one of the most anticipated performances of the year on the local music festival calendar.

His debut album Aijuswanaseing (I Just Wanna Sing) sold over one million units in the US, with his latest singles already topping the charts locally.

Tickets are available from R450 on www.computicket.com.

Land Rover Discovery Sport Launched In Mzansi

The new Land Rover Discovery Sport in now available in Mzansi. It features 5+2 seating into the premium compact SUV class for the first time.

An all-new multi-link rear axle not only provides engaging driving dynamics but it also provides ample and flexible cabin space behind the second row.

It also features high-quality materials and a strong vertical centre console graphic to reflect the premium design of the exterior, while the core Discovery value of versatility is evident everywhere.

Coupled with supple long-travel suspension, the innovative rear axle also ensures the Discovery Sport is comfortable, refined and rewarding to drive on-road, while retaining the breadth of all-terrain capability for which Land Rover is world-renowned.

In fact, with approach, departure and breakover angles of 25, 31 and 21 degrees respectively, Terrain Response technology, and the ability to wade to 600mm, Discovery Sport offers class-leading capability in all conditions.

As with every new Land Rover, safety has been a key priority in the development of the new Discovery Sport, resulting in a first-in-class pedestrian airbag, autonomous emergency braking, and a state-of-the-art bodyshell featuring both ultra-high-strength steel and lightweight aluminum.

This represents a fraction of the advanced equipment available in Discovery Sport, which also includes an all-new 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system, and tilt-and-slide row-two seating for maximum interior configurability.

The Discovery Sport is equipped with a range of four-cylinder turbocharged petrol and diesel engines. Both the all-alloy Si4 2.0-litre petrol engine and the 2.2-litre turbodiesel feature high-pressure direct injection, low-friction internal components and smart regenerative charging for outstanding performance and economy.

Standard Bank Brings Banking To Finger Tips

Standard Bank iPhone and iPad users with device fingerprint readers were recently upgraded to using the hardware to log onto the banking application.

“Standard Bank plans to roll out this feature to biometrically-enabled Android phones in the near future,” Magnus Taljaard, head of Mobile Banking at Standard Bank, told Fin24.

So far in South Africa, Samsung and Huawei are the only other brands that offer fingerprint access.

While Capitec has embraced biometric technology in their branches, Standard Bank says the technology gives them a competitive edge.

“With the latest upgrade to our banking apps, customers with Touch ID-enabled smartphones and tablets have the option to use Apple’s fingerprint identity sensor to sign into our mobile banking apps. This gives the promise of ‘banking at your fingertips’ an added dimension – and gives Standard Bank the competitive edge as we were the first South African bank to implement the technology,” Taljaard said.

But in case not all customers are ready to make the jump to biometric banking, the traditional PIN will continue to be available, and features such as adding beneficiaries will demand additional security on the application.

“There has been a very positive response from our customers to date, and many customers are saying that the TouchID feature has simplified their banking experience. It is important to note that the ability to sign in to mobile banking using the fingerprint sensor is combined with an additional security layer for certain transactions, for example when paying new beneficiaries,” said Taljaard.

Juniper Research predicts that the number of people downloading biometric-enabled applications is expected to increase from six million in 2015 to over 770 million per year by 2019.

While biometric ATMs are already available in Brazil and Kenya, the technology has also been used successfully to manage elections in Ghana, Sierra Leone, Tanzania and Nigeria.

Even so, Standard Bank expressed caution when asked about implementing the technology at local ATMs.

“We are evaluating a number of promising biometric solutions that could benefit our customers. All solutions undergo rigorous testing by the bank and, just as importantly, we test these solutions with our customers to ensure these meet their needs, before releasing them to the market,” Taljaard said.

– News24Wire

Raising Money To Build A New Company

By Strive Masiyiwa

AN example of how you raise money from investors, using a stock market exchange.

A stock market exchange is one of the most ingenious mechanism ever created to help entrepreneurs raise money to fund the development of a business.

Most of the world’s leading entrepreneurs including global icons like Bill Gates, Jack Ma, Aliko Dangote, and Patrice Motsepe would not be there today without a stock exchange market.

# If you dream of building a billion dollar company and becoming one of these global icons, you better start to understand what a stock exchange market is and how it “really” works.

Here is my own story:

In 1998, after securing a licence to build a cellphone network in Zimbabwe, following a gruelling five-year legal battle, I worked with my team to prepare a five-year BUSINESS PLAN to present to investors.

One of the things the business plan showed us was that we needed to raise at least $10 million to get started.

As the promoter, I did not have that kind of money . . . so what was I to do?

The business plan also showed that it would be dangerous to borrow that kind of money.

A good business plan will also show you whether you should borrow money from a bank or whether you should look for investors who will buy shares for “equity”.

This business plan “showed” us we must find investors and get “equity” financing before raising any debt.

You can get “equity” finance from private investors or from public investors.

I decided I wanted to go to public investors (I have explained before why I wanted public investors).

If your country does not have a proper stock exchange market, you cannot access probably the most important sources of funding for a business. It also makes it very difficult for your entrepreneurs to build big businesses.

Countries with no stock exchanges or poorly constructed exchanges generally do not produce top entrepreneurs either.

Fortunately my home country Zimbabwe has the second oldest stock exchange market in Africa after South Africa.

It was first established almost 100 years ago. In 1998, the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange was still able to mobilise both local and international capital to support businesspeople.

I have written in the past about my battle to get them to let me raise money from the public, through an Initial Public Offering (IPO).

We prepared a prospectus, which we published in the newspapers.

We offered 40 percent of our company to members of the public both local and internationally to raise the $10m.

Thousands of people rushed to buy the shares because they wanted to be my partners in owning the business.

What I did is not different to what Aliko Dangote did in Nigeria, or what Patrice Motsepe did in South Africa.

It is exactly what Bill Gates and Paul Allen did in America. Others are doing it every day across the world.

That is why stock exchanges exist and that is how you access trillions of dollars available to build and grow businesses.

The biggest buyers of shares on most exchanges (by value) are insurance companies and pension funds.

So if you have a life policy or make pension contributions through your job, you are probably a shareholder of most public companies in your country because this is where they invest most of your money.

Some of you are shareholders even of the company I started without even being aware it it.

Once I “listed” the company my new PARTNERS (the public) who bought the initial shares, were now free to go to the market and either sell or look for more from others who had bought.

If the demand was high, the price went up and if the demand was low the price came down.

This buying and selling does not involve the company in any way.

We had raised our money and could now deploy it to grow the business.

If we needed more money we could simply sell more shares ourselves, in another process, known as a RIGHTS ISSUE.

I never returned to ask shareholders to give us additional capital as often happens.

Instead I retained all the profits in the company for five years and used them to finance further growth.

I was heavily criticised at the time for this policy by some myopic observers who wanted me to pay dividends.

The company went up in value from $10m to more than $1.5bn by 2014 despite the huge economic challenges the country has faced.

In my next post I will show you how I started to “buy” shares in global businesses when I was only seventeen and still at school.

To be continued …

Savanna Gets Bold New Look

Savanna, the premium cider that knows how to stand out from the crowd, is strutting a bold new look and dashing frame that may be new on the outside but you’ll still find the same, distinctively dry taste on the inside.

With its charismatic appeal and left-of-centre attitude Savanna Premium Cider continues to lead the pack with three refreshing varieties: Dry, Light and Dark. Since the launch in 1996, Savanna has certainly had work done, but while it has slipped into something new on the outside, it remains the much loved dry, 100% clear apple cider on the inside.

In the sharp-witted, progressive world of Savanna the only constant is change so the mould has been broken to make way for a completely new glass bottle. Not your average makeover, the new Savanna bottle now stands bold, confident and easy on the eye, yet remains refreshingly simple.

Cider royalty deserves a crown so caps off to the new bold crown design which is guaranteed to turn a few heads.

Up to its neck in style, Savanna is on trend with a longer and slimmer neck for the ultimate drinking experience.

Savanna’s workout has paid off big time. See the results with stronger, more manly shoulders.

The slick new label has had a few touch-ups too leaving it more refined with a cleaner feel to add the finishing touch to Savanna’s fresh new look.

And when it comes to functionality, debossing on the side lets your fingers find the savvy Savanna name with every letter boldly engraved to add “grippability”. Yes that’s a word now!

Don’t keep your excitement bottled up. Experience the “before” and “after” transition and be part of the new pack reveal one change at a time on Savanna’s brand new mobile-first website www.savannacider.com . You can also catch all the action on Savanna’s popular social feeds, facebook.com/savannacider, Twitter @SavannaCider, Instagram.com/savannacider and YouTube.
Look out for the all new Savanna TV ad and tune into the new radio spots. Savanna will also be standing tall in spectacular city spaces and making its presence felt in newspapers, magazines and trending online sites.

Loyal fans can look forward to epic Before and After parties taking place around the country, which are sure to provide unexpected experiences. Details of how to win tickets to these totally cool events are found under the cap when buying your next Savanna.

Available at leading stores country-wide at a recommended price of R66.95 per 6-pack or R239.95 per case, Savanna is letting the world know that this Premium Cider is New on the Outside, Still Dry on the Inside.

President Zuma To Release Marikana Report

President Jacob Zuma will release the Marikana report to the public in due course, said the Presidency on Sunday.

According to the statement, the president is still processing the report after it was received from the Commission Chairperson, Judge Ian Farlam early in April.

The commission was appointed to investigate the events in Marikana, Rustenburg in the North West in 2012. Around 44 people were killed, 70 injured and 250 arrested in violent clashes with police and a rival trade union during a wildcat strike.

“The Commission has made some serious recommendations that require careful consideration. Therefore, it is important to apply my mind carefully so that our response ensures that the events that took place in Marikana are not allowed to happen again in our country,” said Zuma.

“Everything is being done to ensure that the matters are concluded as soon as possible. Source Breaking News SA

Joburg Residents To Get Free Online Varsity Courses

Joburg residents, particularly unemployed and underprivileged youth, will soon have free access to recognised courses from various international universities.

This will be provided by a massive open online course (MOOC) programme that has just been announced by the City of Joburg’s executive mayor, Parks Tau. Tau made the announcement during his State of the City Address this morning at the Metro Centre in Braamfontein in the Johannesburg city centre.

With only 13.2% of Joburg resident having a post-matric qualification, according to Tau, the Massive Open Online Varsity (MOOV) will provide residents with an alternative method of getting a tertiary education without having to deal with the high costs thereof.

40 youths have already been enrolled for the MOOV, and the city plans to grow that number to reach hundreds more students across the city.

The University of Adelaide in Australia, Rice University and the US’s Wharton Business School and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have come on board to offer their courses on MOOV.

“This complements our new range of programmes that directly support the new digital economy,” the mayor said.

Joburg Plans To Turn Water And Waste Into Energy

To solve Johannesburg water wastage problems and find ways harnessing new energy sources, the City of Joburg is turning to toilets and water.

Executive Mayor Parks Tau in his State of the City Address delivered this morning said that although the city has so far been able to meet the water supply demands despite Joburg’s ever-growing population – it has reached an equilibrium point between demand and supply and unless usage behaviour changes, demand will outstrip supply.

The city plans to install low-flush toilets and water-saving urinals in homes, offices and commercial sites and that fresh water pipes will now have turbines installed in them that will generate energy than can be used for electricity.

Tau also mentioned that gas for fuel and electricity will be harnessed from organic waste gathered from the city’s various waste separation projects.

The announcement of these projects form part of the City of Joburg’s first series of “Blue Economy” projects, which are aimed at re-using already existing materials to reduce wastage across the city.

Joburg Mayor Announces New Initiative To Tackle Youth Unemployment

A comprehensive programme to address unemployment among the youth of Johannesburg and provide them with skills to enter the job market was announced by the City’s Executive Mayor, Parks Tau today.

Delivering his annual State of the City Address yesterday, Mayor Tau said the Vulindlel’ eJozi programme will train more than 200 000 young people over the next 18 months and enable them to find employment or continue with further studies.

“This is an innovative response to the massive problem of youth unemployment,” Mayor Tau said, and improve their ability to participate in the City’s economy.

Vulindlel’ eJozi is a partnership between the City and the Harambee Youth

Accelerator, a youth development agency supported by the private sector. The initial stage of the programme will consist of screening and assessment of candidates followed by literacy, numeracy and digital literacy training.

The programme will then identify and create opportunities for young people based on their aptitudes and capabilities. These will include formal employment, participation in public works and youth service programmes and contributing to the City’s own Jozi@Work initiative.

Describing Jozi@Work as “a hand-up initiative,” Mayor Tau said it is “changing the way the City does business and produces services.” Through an innovative approach in which communities form partnerships with the City, issues relating to both unemployment and service delivery backlogs are addressed.

A community innovation fund will be set up in June and communities will be able to identify and propose work projects within the areas where they live.

The City’s “Digital Ambassadors programme”, launched in partnership with the University of Johannesburg will train more than 3 000 young people and deploy them across the City where they will provide digital literacy training to members of the community.

“This is the bridge we are building across the digital divide,” said Mayor Tau.

Justin Bieber Wanted To Wrestle At SummerSlam 2014

Former WWE creative writer Kevin Eck revealed in a new blog that Justin Bieber wanted to wrestle at WWE SummerSlam in 2014, teaming with John Cena and Big Show to face The Wyatt Family.

Eck’s full blog can be read at this link on his website.

Eck wrote the following about the idea: The proposed match was discussed among the booking team (which I was on) about five months before SummerSlam, but a deal with Bieber never came to fruition. I’m not sure how close it was to actually happening.

My concern at the time was that Cena teaming up with Bieber — who was making headlines for all the wrong reasons and most definitely would have been booed unmercifully by the WWE audience — would not have done Cena, the face of the company, any favors.

To address that concern, the creative suggestion was that Cena would become increasingly annoyed by Bieber in the weeks leading up to the match, but Big Show, who would be portrayed as Bieber’s friend, would repeatedly play peacemaker.

After the babyfaces went over in the match, Bieber would be so obnoxious in trying to take credit for the win that Cena would hit the Attitude Adjustment on him for a big pop. Another point that was raised when discussing the potential match was whether it would have been a bad PR move for WWE to do business with Bieber. The feeling from the powers that be was that if Mayweather liked him, then Bieber must be OK. - Source pwmania.com

Five Essential Benefits A Good HR Solution Should Offer

By Synergy Group CEO, Ashley Regenass



South African organisations face enormous challenges in improving efficiencies and cost control in their HR departments. One common problem is that HR departments spend too much time on administrative tasks and managing compliance at the expense of supporting managers in developing employee potential.



Another issue is that managers lack visibility into employee productivity and cost, which leads to poor estimates of labour costs in turn and eroding profits and competitiveness. For many mid-market enterprises, much of the difficulty in taking more control over the HR function lies in the fact that they rely on poorly integrated systems and cumbersome business processes.



These are all challenges we are grappling with inside our own business, which is why we have decided to implement Sage HR Management to modernise our HR processes and business systems. We looked at five core requirements for a new solution before we made our choice.



1.     Modern technology platform



Understanding that we wanted to take advantage of the latest trends such as mobility, we needed a business solution with a modern architecture. It would need to be flexible and modular, allowing us to introduce new features and functionality at a pace that would be comfortable for our business. It would also need to be simple and fast to implement and configure.



2.     Integration



Too many mid-sized businesses still store HR data in siloes. Outdated HR systems with loose or no integration with accounting and ERP systems create inefficiencies across the organisation and hamper visibility into business trends. The tight integration of Sage ERP X3 and Sage HR Management was, therefore, a big plus for us as a Sage ERP X3 user. A company with unified financial and HR data benefits from accurate and exhaustive data for all its employees, and this is core to improving productivity.



With Sage HR Management, we’ll have a complete HR solution that integrates with our ERP system, giving us a real-time view into HR productivity and costs.



That’s critically important to us since we are a consulting firm and our people’s time and expertise is the main product we sell. An integrated HR package will also help us reduce the need to recapture data across functions such as payroll, hiring, on-boarding and retaining talent, and statutory reporting.



3.     Tighter control



We wanted to empower our managers with unified HR and financial data that would allow them to forecast present and future costs while streamlining operations with automated workflows. Thus, we looked for a solution that automates processes from end to end. Sage HR Management also provides powerful tools for managing workflows and enforcing business rules.



4.     Better compliance and visibility



Gaining visibility of HR performance is a growing challenge, especially for mid-sized businesses. A related challenge is statutory reporting.  We wanted a solution that would provide a global, accurate real-time view of HR budget, workforce costs and performance, enabling faster, better-informed operational decisions. With its dashboards and analytic tools, Sage HR Management will give us greater visibility into the business so we can make better decisions.



It will also support us in managing internal processes as well as storing and accessing critical documentation.



5.     Employee engagement



Companies around the world agree that employee engagement is vital, and especially so in an industry such as ours where the best skills are in high demand. For us, implementing an HR solution should therefore focus as much on HR service delivery as it does on improving efficiencies.  Sage HR Management will give us powerful tools such as self-service HR services (via the web or a mobile device) for ensuring higher employee retention and engagement. It will also help us to manage employee development with faster and simpler access to skills and performance information.



We considered it especially important to give managers mobile access to key performance indicators and operational performance data. Providing web access to core HR data to managers - on any device and on any browser - giving them the freedom to take decisions from any location.

Chelsea To Reward Mourinho With Contract Extension

Jose Mourinho and Chelsea are ready to close to agreeing on a new contact that will keep the Premier League‘s best manager at Stamford Bridge until 2019.

Mourinho’s current deal expires in two years but after winning the Barclays Premier League title at the weekend, the Special One will be rewarded with a two-year extension.

Mourinho is the highest paid manager in the Premier League, and can expect to be handed improved terms on the current £12.5 million he earns per year under the terms of his current deal.

Since his return to London from Real Madrid in 2013, Mourinho has always insisted he no longer felt the urge to hop from club to club to prove his ability and chase personal ambitions.

From the moment he came back, he claimed this was a different project, and gave the impression he was out to build a Chelsea dynasty to compete with what Sir Alex Ferguson did at Manchester United.

Mourinho, who has won eight league titles in four different countries, says it is ‘impossible’ for him to match Sir Alex’s 13 Premier League wins but he is determined to achieve more at Stamford Bridge and continue to build a team which can better compete in Europe.

‘I’m here to stay,’ he said, earlier this year. ‘I belong to Chelsea and Chelsea belong to me. I gave a lot to Chelsea in the past but they also gave a lot to me. This is a different professional relationship. My next move will be if and when Chelsea decides it is time.’

Contracts don’t mean as much as they once did, because Mourinho knows that if he does not win a trophy next season he will be fired. That being said, it makes sense for Chelsea to lock up Mouinho for two more years as he is one of the best managers in the world. Source - soccer tickets online

Cassper Nyovest Donates R100 000 As Promised

South African rapper Cassper Nyovest donated R100 000 to aid the victims of xenophobia, after a concert held in Zimbabwe.

This comes after Zimbabweans warned they would retaliate for the violence perpetrated by South Africans against foreign nationals in SA.

Zimbabweans threatened to retaliate should the rapper go through with his concert in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe on 25 April.

The concert went off with no violence, and as promised, Nyovest donated his entire performance fee from his concert, by handing over a cheque for R100 000 from his entertainment company, Family tree Media.

The artist, whose real name is Refiloe Phoolo, said on Facebook, “Did my part in helping the world today. I donated R100 000 through my company @familytreemediaza to rebuilding post xenophobia. We starting up sustainable businesses for victims which will not only help them rebuild but also create opportunities for them to help others. I don’t have all the solutions but I’m sure we can make things better by working together.”

Harry Potter Star Is In Cape Town

The Harry Potter franchise’s star, Daniel Radcliffe, is in the Mother City, to film a movie about a video game, and the tycoon that created it.

The new BBC movie, titled Gamechanger, is about Sam Houser, the creator of world famous, and notorious game, Grand Theft Auto.

The production has been a secret until now, with confirmation that the shoot is in full swing in Cape Town. The first few scenes were shot outside Texies in the CBD.

The scene opened with Radcliffe emerging from a yellow New York taxi cab, in the city which was made to look like Broadway, as he elbows his way through a mob of protesters.

A man dressed as a New York police officer sat astride a black horse and attempted to control the protesting crowd.

Radcliffe has been spotted all over by fans. He was also seen having a meal at Camps Bay seafood restaurant, The Codfather on Monday night.

Pacman To Undergo Shoulder Surgery

Manny Pacquiao is expected to undergo surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff, according to reports in the media.

Pacquiao, who lost the ‘fight of the century’ by unanimous decision to Floyd Mayweather last Saturday, claimed that he had entered the fight with the injury to his right shoulder.

The tear has been describe as serious by Dr Neal ElAttrache and will mean that Pacquiao could be out between nine and 12 months.

“We have an MRI scan that confirms he has a rotator cuff tear. He has a significant tear,” ElAttrache of the Kerlan Jobe Orthopedic Clinic told ESPN.

ElAttrache has operated on a number of high profile sportsmen including: New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Zack Greinke and Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant.

There is no confirmation on a date for the surgery yet.

Kaplan: Bulls Were Lucky 2nd Try Was Awarded

The Bulls were lucky to have been awarded their second try against the Lions in Saturday’s Super Rugby match in Pretoria, said former South African test referee, Jonathan Kaplan.

Kaplan explained that the try scored by scrumhalf Piet van Zyl in the 10th minute was preceded by a forward pass from No 8 Arno Botha to centre Jan Serfontein.

Kaplan wrote on his website, www.ratetheref.co.za:  “The Bulls’ second try should never have been as there was a clear forward pass in the build-up. It should have been picked up by the officials, and it wasn’t. The difference in score in the end was two points, but that’s not really the point. The Bulls were probably the better outfit on the day, but this is professional sport and we need to be looking for solutions to these issues, not running for cover and hoping the dust settles quickly after each weekend.”

The Bulls beat the Lions 35-33.

Now You Can Learn Afrikaans For Free Online

Seriously boet! The 7de Laan omnibus is not the only way to learn Afrikaans in 2015. Afrikaans was declared an official language nine decades ago and now is probably the best time for you to catch up. The following online tools are the way to go if you feel like being part of a sometimes hotly contested and yet rich lingual heritage.

We know that cost is usually an impediment to those who are keen to learn a new language. Which is why you might be interested in free lessons, which are available online via OpenLanguages, a site managed by Dr Jacques du Plessis who has taught Afrikaans for over 30 years. OpenLanguages makes it possible for speakers of English, German, Italian and French to learn how to communicate in Afrikaans with their home language as a medium of instruction.

du Plessis is a native Afrikaans speaker and his website also caters for beginners as well as those studying at university. He recommends exposing oneself to Afrikaans as much as possible in addition to learning on through the website.

“…listen to Afrikaans radio as a new habit, watch the Afrikaans soaps on TV and hang around those who speak die Taal. Every bit of exposure makes a difference.” says du Plessis through the learning portal. OpenLanguages also provides links to YouTube videos of Afrikaans sitcom Orkney Snork and lifestyle show Pasella.

Easyafrikaans is another free website where you can learn basic grammar, read stories and complete crossword puzzles conveniently on your way to becoming fluent. Founded in 2006 with several breaks in between the site gives basic lessons and collects statistics to show you how much time you’ve spent learning Afrikaans.

Cool apps and books are also available on Google’s Play Store and iTunes for free and at other times for a small fee because payments made to learn something new count as money well spent. - Source Htxt Africa

Africa's Richest Man Wants To Buy Arsenal

Africa's richest man Aliko Dangote claims he still harbors hopes of one day buying Arsenal.

The Nigerian has an estimated fortune of $15 billion (£10.4billion) and is reported to have wanted to buy into the Gunners when former director Lady Nina Bracewell-Smith was selling her shares in 2010.

Arsenal's current majority shareholder is American tycoon Stan Kroenke, who remains committed to the Barclays Premier League club for the long-term. Uzbek magnate Alisher Usmanov controls around 30 per cent and has also expressed no desire to offload any of his stock.

Nevertheless Dangote, whose business interests include sugar, flour and oil, remains keen to become part of the Emirates Stadium club sometime in the future.

Speaking to Bloomberg, he said: "I still hope, one day at the right price, that I will buy the team.

"I might buy it, not at a ridiculous price but a price that the owners won't want to resist. I know my strategy."

Dangote, though, added no imminent bid was in the pipeline.

"We have 16billion dollars-worth of investments in the next few years. Right now I want to take my own business to a certain level. Once I finish on that trajectory, then maybe," he said.

Arsenal beat Hull 3-1 on Monday night to give themselves a good chance to finish second behind Premier League champions Chelsea, and will face Aston Villa in the FA Cup final at Wembley on May 30.

Dangote, however, suggested Arsene Wenger's side should be achieving more.

He added: "(Wenger) needs to change his style a bit. They need new direction."

Sage One Teams With ORT JET To Empower Small Businesses

Sage Pastel Accounting has teamed up with ORT JET- an initiative that focuses on helping Jewish entrepreneurs to build sustainable businesses - to offer a 12-month subscription to the Sage One Accounting online software to qualifying members of the ORT community.

ORT JET is the enterprise development division of ORT SA -- a non-profit organisation that has operated in South Africa for 79 years with the vision of empowering people with the knowledge and skills they need for success. In addition to helping Jewish SMEs, ORT JET and ORT SA work together to bring their mentoring model to entrepreneurs from disadvantaged communities.

The aim of ORT SA's partnership with Sage Pastel is to help small businesses in its programme to take charge of their finances as they grow into self-sustaining enterprises. It addresses the reality that many owners of small businesses do not have the right infrastructure and training to monitor their finances.

"ORT JET attracts small businesses and entrepreneurs, while Sage has an amazing financial tracking tool," says Sally Liebowitz, Financial Assessment Mentor at ORT JET. "Together we can help small businesses to monitor their performance and chart their route to success”.” Sage One Accounting has been supporting a few of the ORT JET businesses in the past year and the benefit they have received has been immeasurable”.

Sage One Accounting will empower business owners in the programme to take ownership of and responsibility for the financial health of their businesses. Sage One is easy to use and because it’s online, it allows small businesses to access their financial information 'on the fly' as a byproduct of them just doing their normal business transactions such as sales and purchases on the system.

She adds that ORT JET's mentors have found, through their experience of working with entrepreneurs, that many owners of small businesses need assistance when it comes to assessing and managing their finances. ORT JET's Bootcamp training programme helps these business owners to better understand the need for disciplined financial tracking.

The relationship with Sage One Accounting means that up to 70 Jewish entrepreneurs in the ORT JET programme and business owners from ORT SA's outreach communities will be given the tools they need to accurately record and monitor financial transactions over the next year.

Adds Steven Cohen, managing director of Sage One for AAMEA (Asia, Australia, Middle East and Africa): "Programmes such as the ORT JET Business Mentorship Programme contribute to a healthier business environment, in turn lifting employment and prosperity to the benefit of all South Africans. We’re proud to support an initiative that is helping diverse communities achieve personal growth, financial independence and sustainability."