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An unexpected and exciting encounter with a well-camouflaged octopus became the highlight of an unforgettable morning for ten members of Scottburgh High School’s Enviro Club as they took part in the Mission Blue Aliwal Shoal Hope Spot Youth Ambassador Programme at the Park Rynie tidal pool on Saturday, 27 June. Under the guidance of Enviro …
For SEO, an article with well-placed, highly relevant minimal links completely outperforms an article crammed with many links. In modern SEO, search engines evaluate links based on quality, relevance, and user behaviour rather than raw volume. Piling too many links into an article ruins the user experience and dilutes your SEO authority. Here is exactly …
Following OLX Group’s latest financial results, AutoTrader highlights the local achievements that continue to strengthen its position as South Africa’s leading automotive marketplace. AutoTrader demonstrated its leadership as South Africa’s leading automotive marketplace, now three times larger than its nearest competitor, by continuing to strengthen the way South Africans buy, sell, value, and research vehicles …
Smart Africa Guide has launched a free NSFAS Status Tool to help South African students understand common funding status messages in simple language. The tool is designed for students who often feel confused when their NSFAS profile shows updates such as Registration Received, Provisionally Funded, Verification, Gap Investigation, Awaiting Evaluation, or Rejected. Instead of guessing …
For years, I have said that I have unfinished business in the City of Johannesburg. Today, I say with even greater conviction that I have unfinished business not only in Johannesburg, but in South Africa.
The post Unfinished Business: The Voice of South Africans Cannot Be Ignored appeared first on ActionSA.
The Blue Bulls edged the Golden Lions while the Limpopo Blue Bulls recorded the biggest victory of the opening round of the FNB U16 Girls Week at Kearsney College in Botha’s Hill near Durban on Tuesday. Several teams laid down a marker in the first round of the tournament, with the Pumas, Griffons, Boland, South …
The Springbok Women concluded another fruitful training day at St. John’s College in Johannesburg on Tuesday with a lot of focus on defence, an area Laurian Johannes-Haupt (assistant coach) feels they need to dominate in their Test against USA Eagles at Ellis Park on Saturday. The Bok Women coach was also optimistic that their scrumming …
Statement by Ashor Sarupen MP – Chairperson of the DA Federal Council: The Democratic Alliance has filed papers in the Constitutional Court opposing Jacob Zuma’s latest attempt to avoid repaying the nearly R29 million he owes the State for his personal legal costs. Mr Zuma is seeking leave to appeal after both the High Court …
Junior Springbok head coach Kevin Foote has made sweeping rotational changes to his side for Thursday’s second-round Junior World Championship clash against hosts Georgia in Tbilisi. The Pool A encounter kicks off at 18h30 (SA time) and will be broadcast live on SuperSport. Foote has retained only four players from the starting team that opened …
Maximize SEO without triggering over-optimization penalties How to pick the perfect anchor text for internal links Choosing the right anchor text for internal links is a balancing act. You want to give search engines clear signals about what the destination page is about, but if you use the exact same keyword over and over, search …
Choosing fragrance for a woman, whether for herself or as a gift, can feel like guesswork. There are hundreds of bottles, dozens of names, and adverts that promise everything and tell you nothing about how a scent actually smells. The good news is that picking the right one comes down to a handful of simple …
Springbok loose forward Elrigh Louw has been called up to the national squad for the Nations Championship as additional forward cover and will join his team-mates in Johannesburg on Tuesday. Louw played the last of his 13 Test matches against Wales in November 2024, and spent most of the 2025 season on the sidelines after …
Most of the payout is interest calculated from when state’s liability for TB contraction in prisons was established in 2012
Winter has a way of inviting us in. Sofas feel softer, blankets are fluffier, and families get closer as we all spend more time indoors. But, while we turn our homes into snug retreats, it’s worth remembering that winter comfort can come with a few hidden risks if we don’t look properly. “Cold weather changes …
By Laila Bastati, Chief Commercial Officer, APO Group (https://APO-opa.com/).
I have yet to meet a CEO who missed a revenue target and blamed a 3% decrease in share of voice.
And yet communication is almost always somewhere in the room when revenue disappoints. Just never on the list.
Because the most expensive communication failures don't appear in communications dashboards.
They appear later. In a regulatory process that takes twice as long as expected. In a partner who goes quiet after an announcement. In a market that understood the decision perfectly and still didn't move. In a deal that stalled for reasons nobody could articulate cleanly.
You know the room I mean. Sales blames the market. Finance blames the timing. Operations blames the execution. Everyone has a theory. Nobody calls the communications director.
I've watched this happen across more markets than I can count. And the pattern is consistent enough that I'm going to say something that will make some of my peers uncomfortable.
Most of the time, communication shaped the outcome. Not the press releases. Not the coverage. The stuff that never got commissioned because nobody knew how to measure it. The regulatory relationship that wasn't built before it was needed. The stakeholder ground that was never prepared before the announcement landed. The trust that was never established before the market was asked to move.
Kenya's Finance Bill didn't fail because people didn't know about it. Everyone knew. It failed because explanation never travelled as far as interpretation. Nigeria's fuel subsidy removal wasn't a visibility problem. It was a confidence problem. People understood what was happening. They didn't trust that the consequences had been thought through on their behalf. And large infrastructure stories, including the Dangote Refinery, do not stall because of lack of attention. They stall when competing interpretations fill the space that should have been occupied by trust.
Awareness is rarely the scarce resource. Confidence is.
Walmart learned this in South Africa. Clean acquisition. No competition concerns. Years in court anyway, fighting unions and government ministries and community groups who felt the company had arrived without earning its place. The friction wasn't about the deal. It was about everything that hadn't been done before the deal was announced. The communications metrics, had anyone been tracking them, would have looked fine. The business felt the cost for years.
This is what we see at APO Group, working across all 54 African markets simultaneously. The companies that move fastest are never the ones generating the most coverage. They're the ones where communication was already doing its real work before anyone in the commercial team needed it to. Trust already built. Regulators already informed. Executives already visible in the right places. Narrative already set. The groundwork already there.
That work is rarely reactive. It's a different brief. Earlier. Broader. Closer to where decisions actually get made: preparing spokespeople to be credible under scrutiny, ensuring leadership voices are present in the media environments that will shape opinion, and building regulator and stakeholder relationships long before they are required in moments of pressure.
Because here's what nobody says out loud when the post-mortem starts. Revenue misses get examined in forensic detail. Pricing. Product. Timing. Execution.
Communication is not missing from the analysis.
It is miscategorised as everything else.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of APO Group Insights.
Media Contact:
marie@apo-opa.com
About APO Group:
Founded in 2007 by Nicolas Pompigne-Mognard, APO Group is the communications consultancy built for performance – combining strategic advisory, on-the-ground execution, and guaranteed visibility across all 54 African markets. Its owned newswire, Africa Newsroom, secures placement on 250+ Africa-focused news sites, connecting organisations directly with 450,000+ journalists, analysts, investors, and policymakers worldwide.
Recognised internationally for communications excellence including SABRE, Davos Communications, and World Business Outlook distinctions, APO Group partners with global and African organisations for whom the continent is a strategic priority. Clients include the African Development Bank Group, Africa CDC, Afreximbank, NFL, Nestlé, Emirates, Canon, Western Union, GITEX Global, and Cassava Technologies.
As World Bicycle Month and Safety Month converge in June, South African roads enter their most dangerous period for cyclists: winter. Reduced daylight combined with heavy rainfall in some regions and increased dust and smog in others, along with deteriorating infrastructure, creates challenging conditions. Michael Foster, King Price Xtreme mountain biker, navigates these conditions often …
Sandton: As organisations continue to invest in ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, and other artificial intelligence technologies, many are overlooking one of the largest productivity opportunities already available to employees: Microsoft Outlook. AI is often positioned as the solution to workplace productivity challenges. Organisations purchase licences, provide training and expect employees to become more efficient almost immediately. However, …
Johannesburg: Thirty-two years into democracy, South Africa continues to grapple with a significant service delivery crisis, with residents across the country facing persistent challenges related to water, sanitation, electricity, and infrastructure. As the country approaches key municipal elections in November, Johannesburg’s ongoing water crisis, alongside similar challenges in other major metros, is emerging as a critical …
Ghana will purchase 30% of gold produced by large-scale mining companies from July 1, 2026, as the country seeks to […]
The workers staged a sit-in because their pension fund and tax contributions are not being paid over by the municipality
Merck Foundation (www.Merck-Foundation.com), the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany, marks World Art Day 2026 through their Pan-African “Art and Fashion with Purpose” community, established by Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation. On this occasion, the Merck Foundation also proudly celebrates the 6-year anniversary of this impactful community, which continues to harness the power of art and fashion to address critical health and social issues in Africa and beyond.
Senator Dr. Rasha Kelej (Ret.), CEO of Merck Foundation and One of 100 Most Influential Africans 2019 – 2025 shared “I am happy to mark World Art Day 2026, and I firmly believe that art, fashion, and media are powerful tools for raising awareness and addressing critical social and health issues. We also proudly celebrate the 6-year anniversary of our ‘Fashion and Art with Purpose' Community, established in 2020. Through this dynamic community, we continue to raise awareness on important health and social issues like breaking infertility stigma, supporting girl education, ending FGM & child marriage, stopping gender based violence, women empowerment and diabetes, hypertension & cancer awareness, while empowering artists across Africa and beyond to use their day-to-day creative work as a powerful tool for awareness, education, and driving a meaningful cultural shift within their communities.
Our community today brings together talented members from more than 25 countries. I am proud of what we've built together and the positive social impact it continues to create.”
Merck Foundation has launched many initiatives including their first-ever pan-African TV program, ‘Our Africa by Merck Foundation', which uniquely highlights pressing issues across the continent through the voices of their 'Fashion and Art with Purpose' community.
‘Our Africa by Merck Foundation' is a pan African TV program that is conceptualized, produced, directed, and co-hosted by Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej, CEO of Merck Foundation to feature African Fashion Designers, Singers, and prominent experts from various domains with the aim to raise awareness and create a culture shift across Africa. The program has captured the attention and hearts of millions of viewers across Africa.
“Our Africa” has been broadcast on prime TV stations of many countries, and is currently on social media handles of Social Media handles of Senator, Dr. Rasha Kelej [Facebook (https://apo-opa.co/4p0wIl8), Instagram (https://apo-opa.co/44IndNP), Twitter (https://apo-opa.co/44yY2xg) and YouTube (https://apo-opa.co/4oWfIfK)] and Merck Foundation [Facebook (https://apo-opa.co/3RawEm8), Instagram (https://apo-opa.co/4gNVL8E), Twitter (https://apo-opa.co/44yY8oC) and YouTube (https://apo-opa.co/4457g49)].
Watch the Promo of the Program here: https://apo-opa.co/4v96dLr
Beyond Our Africa TV Program, Merck Foundation in partnership with The First Ladies of Africa announces annually 8 important Awards, under two themes, for Media, Fashion Designers, Filmmakers and Musicians/ Singers, and potential young African talents in these fields. The themes of the two categories of awards are: 1) Breaking Infertility Stigma, Support Girls' Education, End Child Marriage, End FGM, Stopping GBV and/ or Women Empowerment at all levels and 2) promote a healthy lifestyle and raise awareness about prevention and early detection of Diabetes and Hypertension.
Entries for the 2026 Awards can be sent to: submit@merck-foundation.com
A significant part of Merck Foundation's “Art and Fashion with Purpose” Community is made up of the talented winners of Merck Foundation annual Fashion, Film, and Song Awards.
“I am proud and delighted to share that in partnership with my dear sisters, The First Ladies of Africa, we have so far recognized and celebrated 175 exceptional talents as our winners from 25 countries through our Fashion, Film, and Song Awards. Each winner has become a valued member of our ‘Fashion and Art with Purpose' Community. Together, they continue to use their voice, art, and influence to spark meaningful conversation, challenge deeply rooted perceptions, and raise awareness about sensitive social and health issues across their communities,” added Dr. Rasha Kelej.
The 175 winners include 102 Fashion Award winners, 53 Song Award winners, and 20 Film Award winners, selected for their outstanding creativity and impact from 25 countries including Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, CAR, Congo-Brazzaville, DRC, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Also, as a part of the Community Awareness Programs, Merck Foundation has created over 30 songs with many African Artists, in English, French, Portuguese and also local African languages to address critical issues like breaking infertility stigma, empowering women, supporting girl education, ending child marriage, diabetes awareness, promoting a healthy lifestyle, and more.
Merck Foundation in partnership with The First Ladies of Africa has also launched 9 Children's Storybooks in five languages - English, French, Portuguese, Spanish and Swahili. Additionally, Merck Foundation has adapted their storybooks to create 6 Awareness Animation films in five languages - English, French, Portuguese, Spanish and Swahili, with the purpose of reaching out to the communities to raise awareness on the important issues with an aim of instilling change at grassroot levels.
To listen to the Merck Foundation songs, read Merck Foundation storybooks and watch Merck Foundation animation films, click on the below links:
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Merck Foundation.
Contact:
Mehak Handa
Community Awareness Program Manager
Phone: +91 9310087613/ +91 9319606669
Email: mehak.handa@external.merckgroup.com
Join the conversation on our social media platforms below and let your voice be heard!
Facebook: https://apo-opa.co/3RawEm8
X: https://apo-opa.co/44yY8oC
YouTube: https://apo-opa.co/4457g49
Instagram: https://apo-opa.co/4gNVL8E
Threads: https://apo-opa.co/44o1pat
Flickr: https://apo-opa.co/4wnQdqd
Website: www.Merck-Foundation.com
Download Merck Foundation App: https://apo-opa.co/4v4PRUi
About Merck Foundation:
The Merck Foundation, established in 2017, is the philanthropic arm of Merck KGaA Germany, aims to improve the health and wellbeing of people and advance their lives through science and technology. Our efforts are primarily focused on improving access to quality & equitable healthcare solutions in underserved communities, building healthcare & scientific research capacity, empowering girls in education and empowering people in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) with a special focus on women and youth. All Merck Foundation press releases are distributed by e-mail at the same time they become available on the Merck Foundation Website. Please visit www.Merck-Foundation.com to read more. Follow the social media of Merck Foundation: Facebook (https://apo-opa.co/3RawEm8), X (https://apo-opa.co/44yY8oC), Instagram (https://apo-opa.co/4gNVL8E), YouTube (https://apo-opa.co/4457g49), Threads (https://apo-opa.co/44o1pat) and Flickr (https://apo-opa.co/4wnQdqd).
The Merck Foundation is dedicated to improving social and health outcomes for communities in need. While it collaborates with various partners, including governments to achieve its humanitarian goals, the foundation remains strictly neutral in political matters. It does not engage in or support any political activities, elections, or regimes, focusing solely on its mission to elevate humanity and enhance well-being while maintaining a strict non-political stance in all of its endeavors.
The creator economy is often discussed as if it belongs only to influencers, podcasters, YouTubers, and people with large followings. That misses the deeper change taking place. What is happening now is not simply the arrival of new platforms but the reshaping of creative work itself. The type of jobs emerging from the creator economy …
Kouga municipality insists the facility is operating within standards but failed to provide test results
People continue to arrive at the old Drive-In site in Durban