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The Prudential Authority – the prudential regulator within the administration of the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) − and the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) will host the 2024 International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS) Annual Conference on 5 and 6 December 2024 in Cape Town. This year’s theme is ‘Licence to operate: the role …
Organised by the Sibikwa Arts Centre, BODY MOVES features dancers from South Africa and the UK
On 22 November, the Western Cape Government officially launched its 2024 Festive Season Road Safety Campaign at the Moorreesburg Weighbridge, signaling the start of heightened road safety efforts during the holiday season. With thousands of residents and visitors expected to travel across the province, the Department has unveiled a comprehensive plan to promote responsible behaviour …
A 34 year old local man is missing. A 12 year old local girl succumbed to fatal drowning. Nicky Whitehead, NSRI Strandfontein station commander, said: At 18h45, Saturday, 23 November, NSRI Strandfontein duty crew and CoCT (City of Cape Town) water rescue network were activated following reports of a drowning in progress at Monwabisi Beach, …
Loose forward Keke Morabe has signed a three-year extension which will see him remain a DHL Stormer until at least 2028. The powerful 23-year-old has played a prominent role already this season, making a big impact on attack and defence from the back of the scrum. Having joined the DHL Stormers fresh out of school, …
Moving in day for new Goodwood social housing tenants
The City of Cape Town has welcomed the latest group of tenants at the massive 1 055-unit Goodwood Station social housing partnership project, a new well-located, affordable housing development, valued at more than R500 million.
In a statement on Saturday, the City said the purpose of social housing is to provide good quality rental housing in well-located parts of the City to households earning less than R22 000 per month.
The City of Cape Town has provided grant funding, land for parking, and various rates discounts and incentives to enable a viable social housing project at Goodwood Station.
The project is a partnership between all spheres of government, including the City, National and Provincial Departments of Human Settlements, the Social Housing Regulatory Authority (SHRA), DCI Community Housing Services (the social housing institution undertaking the development), the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa), and the Development Bank of South Africa (DBSA) Infrastructure Fund, among others.
Mayoral Committee Member for Human Settlements, Councillor Carl Pophaim, said that the City continues to leverage well-located land across the metro for affordable housing initiatives.
In under two years, various municipal-owned properties - with a yield of more than 4 200 units – have already been released as part of the Mayoral Priority Programme for accelerated land release for affordable housing. Overall, the City has some 12 000 affordable units in the pipeline.
“Thousands of families are already tenanted at various well-located developments around the metro, including right here in Goodwood, nearby in Bothasig Gardens, Maitland Mews in the inner city, and the Western Cape government’s Conradie Park development in Pinelands. The City has further released several inner city land parcels for affordable housing, including Salt River Market, Pine Road, Dillon Lane, and New Market Street in the Woodstock and Salt River areas.
“All of these affordable rental units are close to economic and transport hubs. We are truly changing the metro, one affordable housing opportunity at a time, for families in various areas across the city. It was an honour to hand over the keys to these brand-new beautiful units to these families,” Pophaim said.
Facts about social housing:
For more information and to apply, those who qualify can visit: https://www.capetown.gov.za/City-Connect/Apply/City-housing-and-properties/Housing-opportunities/Apply-for-social-housing - SAnews.gov.za
DikelediM
Sun, 11/24/2024 - 13:52
City of Cape Town condemns intimidation of water debt management staff
The City of Cape Town has strongly condemned recent incidents of intimidation directed at water debt management staff while they are executing their duties.
This after videos have been circulating on social media, displaying individuals targeting City officials while in the line of duty.
In a statement, the City of Cape Town said these videos spread misinformation about debt management processes, creating confusion and unnecessary division within its communities.
“The City does offer debt relief when residents qualify. However, in certain instances, debt management is required to sustain services. Targeting staff on the field infringes on their rights to a safe work environment and undermines the value of the essential services provided to all residents through the City’s revenue management practices,” the City of Cape Town said.
The statement further explained that some Water and Sanitation staff are tasked with providing comprehensive debt management functions, working alongside the Corporate Revenue Office to collect revenue, implement legally authorised debt collection practices and minimise debt for the City.
The City said debt management is done fairly and transparently, ensuring that all customers continue to have access to Water and Sanitation services.
The City added that it follows a strict response before debt management interventions are implemented, in line with the Credit Control and Debt Collection Policy.
Initially, a warning letter is delivered at the property or emailed to the customer, reflecting the amount due and arrears on the account. Residents are allowed to make representation to the City and enter into payment arrangements.
The City also keeps a record of all communication with a resident in the event that there are claims of no communication from the City to the respective resident.
Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Sanitation, Zahid Badroodien, explained that if residents cannot settle their outstanding water bills in full, they are encouraged to enter into interest-free payment arrangements to avoid restrictions on services.
“Thereafter, if there are arrears on the account and no payment arrangement is in place, water supply is reduced to the free basic allocation of 6kl monthly - it is not completely cut off. A basic quantity of supply is maintained at residential properties until residents can enter into payment arrangements. Staff is available to assist with this process at any of the City’s nearest walk-in centres," Badroodien said.
In instances where debt is being recovered and a resident may not have water at their property after debt interventions have been activated, they are encouraged to alert their local councillor. Badroodien said that these specific cases will be reported for investigation.
“However, staff and contractors have been issued strict instructions to ensure that a property is left with a restricted supply.
“We urge the public to refrain from acts of aggression towards our staff, who are simply doing their jobs. Law enforcement agencies have been engaged and perpetrators of violence or intimidation will face the appropriate legal consequences,” Badroodien said.
To address the misinformation, the City emphasises that:
“We call on community leaders and residents to verify information from reliable City channels and to not be misled by unverified content on social media. The City remains committed to maintaining open communication and fostering trust with our residents,” Badroodien said. – SAnews.gov.za
DikelediM
Sun, 11/24/2024 - 12:21
Mfuleni residents have also had to resort to digging holes to bury human waste
This follows a meeting on Wednesday by Woodstock ratepayers to discuss the City’s intention to sell the site
EAST LONDON: For Faye Tunnicliffe, the journey back to the Proteas Women’s T20 International (T20I) squad has been anything but...
The 8th National Homeless Conversation was held in Durban this week
SANCO also wants the City of Cape Town and not national government to be responsible for helping fire victims
The Friends of Elizabeth Park, along with the Greater Tygerberg Partnership (GTP), and other groups, just got the thumbs up from the City of Cape Town to kick off an ambitious rehabilitation and conservation programme. This landmark initiative aims to transform Elizabeth Park into a safer, cleaner, and vibrant natural space for everyone in Bellville …
Cape Town, South Africa – The global LGBTI community has concluded a landmark event, the ILGA World Conference, held this year in Cape Town, South Africa and hosted by local organisations Iranti and Gender DynamiX. The 31st edition of the conference — the largest in the history of the organisation — brought together over 1,450 …
Clarity given after City’s claim that it is still limited by historic licence conditions
Following a record-breaking year for nominations, and a historic first awards ceremony on the African continent, The Earthshot Prize (TEP) is officially open for entries for its 2025 cohort and MultiChoice (www.Multichoice.com) is proud to once again be an official Africa nominator for TEP.
TEP seeks innovative solutions across five critical Earthshots: Protect and Restore Nature; Clean Our Air; Revive Our Oceans; Build a Waste-Free World; and Fix Our Climate.
This year's cycle saw an unprecedented surge in nominations, with over 2,000 entries received from 139 countries, demonstrating a growing global momentum for environmental innovation.
The star-studded awards ceremony, held in Cape Town, South Africa was broadcast live to millions of people across the continent by MultiChoice, the official African broadcast partner of TEP. The ceremony celebrated several African-led initiatives, including:
These winners, along with all other TEP recipients, exemplify the power of local solutions to address global challenges and contribute to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Each winner receives £1 million in prize money to scale their impactful solutions.
TEP invites individuals, communities, businesses, and organisations across Africa and beyond to submit their groundbreaking ideas and technologies that can accelerate the transition to a sustainable future. The Prize seeks solutions that are:
TEP is a beacon of hope in the face of the climate crisis, searching for the next generation of environmental pioneers who are developing innovative solutions to repair the planet. Anyone with a bold idea is encouraged to apply here (https://apo-opa.co/3ZfDXdG).
At the heart of TEP's mission is a determination to bring environmental solutions to scale as fast as possible, to reach the goal of protecting and restoring the planet by 2030.
The deadline for entries is 4 December 2024.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of MultiChoice Group.
For media queries contact:
Moipone Tsotetsi
Moipone.Tsotetsi@multichoice.co.za
For entry queries email:
Info@multichoiceafrica.com
About The Earthshot Prize:
Founded by Prince William and The Royal Foundation in 2020, The Earthshot Prize is a global environmental prize designed to discover, accelerate, and scale groundbreaking solutions to repair and regenerate the planet. Inspired by President John F. Kennedy's Moonshot, the Prize aims to catalyse an Earthshot challenge to encourage and scale innovative solutions that can help put the world on a trajectory towards a stable climate where communities, oceans, and biodiversity thrive in harmony by 2030.
For more information, please visit: https://apo-opa.co/3CAsjRP
In a little over two weeks’ time, Cape Town will yet again throw Rugby’s Biggest Party, when HSBC SVNS returns to the sunny shores of the Mother City and rugby fans get to vibe their way into the record books while cheering on the Blitzboks. In true festive Dezemba style, this year’s sevens extravaganza comes …
The finalists will go head to head at the V&A Waterfront this weekend, for a shot at making it onstage at the annual Festive Lights Switch-On event on the Grand Parade on Sunday, 1 December. Read more below: The top ten comedy finalists stand a chance to win generous cash prizes of R10 000 for …
𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝟮𝟳 𝗢𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰.
Four out of five boys in South Africa grow up without a positive male role model. The consequences can be devastating: low self-esteem, poor academic performance, and depression. But a non-profit is trying to change that. The Character Company provides mentors for boys across South Africa, changing their lives and futures. On the outskirts of Cape Town, Carte Blanche meets some of these men and the children whose lives have been positively impacted by the movement.
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vivo (www.vivo.com/za), one of the top five smartphone manufacturers in the world, is bringing its all-new vivo X200 Pro flagship smartphone range to Africa in collaboration with MediaTek (www.MediaTek.com), a global fabless semiconductor company powering over two billion connected devices annually. The collaboration was announced at AfricaCom 2024 in Cape Town.
The vivo X200 Pro features groundbreaking imaging technology, exceptional processing power, and a suite of innovations for productivity and creativity. Among the first smartphones powered by Dimensity 9400 (https://apo-opa.co/3OjMjdG), the Vivo X200 Pro comes in the Pro Mini variant alongside the base and Pro models.
The device is built on the MediaTek Dimensity 9400, the company's new-generation flagship smartphone chipset optimised for edge-AI applications, immersive gaming, incredible photography, and more. Featuring the all-big-core Arm Cortex-X925 CPU at 3.62GHz, the SoC delivers blistering performance.
The design offers 35% faster single-core performance and 28% faster multi-core performance compared to MediaTek's previous generation flagship chipset, the Dimensity 9300. Built on TSMC's second-generation 3nm process, the Dimensity 9400 is up to 40% more power-efficient than its predecessor, allowing users to enjoy longer battery life.
“As our fourth-generation flagship, the Dimensity 9400 builds on our momentum in the premium segment,” said Rami Osman (https://apo-opa.co/48T6tVz), Director of Business Development for MediaTek Middle East and Africa. “It enables manufacturers like vivo to build future-proof devices with next-generation features like Wi-Fi 7 tri-band MLO and on-device generative AI.”
Incorporating MediaTek's 8th Generation NPU, the Dimensity 9400 is the first mobile chipset to offer on-device LoRA training, high-quality on-device video generation, and developer support for Agentic AI. Dimensity 9400 offers up to 80% faster large language model (LLM) prompt performance.
Tony Shi, GM of vivo South Africa, said: “In 2023, vivo joined hands with MediaTek to usher in the all-big-core era. This year, we are proud to collaborate with MediaTek to define the second-generation all-big-core 3nm Dimensity 9400. The SoC delivers excellent performance across all productivity, gaming and media experiences.
“The tuning of vivo's BlueChip technology solutions unleashes the performance of the Dimensity 9400 flagship, while achieving excellent power efficiency control. This achieves a balanced state of high efficiency and low power consumption, empowering the vivo X200 Pro with exceptional experiences in performance, power efficiency, gaming, communication, security, imaging, display, and AI.”
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of MediaTek Inc..
For media queries:
Idea Engineers (PR agency for MediaTek)
Ashmika Naidoo
Mobile: +27 (0)78 371 1645
ashmika@ideaengineers.co.za
Social Media:
Twitter: https://apo-opa.co/4fzOjKU
YouTube: https://apo-opa.co/3CxH6fU
Facebook: https://apo-opa.co/3ADznfP
Website: www.MediaTek.com
About MediaTek Inc.:
MediaTek Incorporated (TWSE: 2454) is a global fabless semiconductor company that enables nearly 2 billion connected devices a year. We are a market leader in developing innovative systems-on-chip (SoC) for mobile, home entertainment, connectivity and IoT products. Our dedication to innovation has positioned us as a driving market force in several key technology areas, including highly power-efficient mobile technologies, automotive solutions and a broad range of advanced multimedia products such as smartphones, tablets, digital televisions, 5G, Voice Assistant Devices (VAD) and wearables. MediaTek empowers and inspires people to expand their horizons and achieve their goals through smart technology, more easily and efficiently than ever before. We work with the brands you love to make great technology accessible to everyone, and it drives everything we do. Visit www.MediaTek.com for more information.
Serving as the leading platform for deal-making, energy partnerships and capital investment in Africa's energy sector, African Energy Week (AEW): Invest in African Energies will return to Cape Town, South Africa in 2025, in partnership with the Government of South Africa, S&P Global Commodity Insights and Afreximbank.
Featuring a strong lineup of industry leaders dedicated to securing a sustainable energy future for the continent, Africa's largest energy sector gathering will take place from September 29 to October 3 at the Cape Town International Convention Center 2. Building on the success of previous editions, the event continues to solidify its status as the premier gathering for the African energy industry.
With over 125 million barrels of proven oil reserves, 620 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and abundant renewable resources, Africa holds the potential to become a global energy leader. With African energy demand expected to more than double by 2050 and fossil fuels projected to comprise up to 60% of the energy mix by 2040, AEW: Invest in African Energies 2025 aims to eradicate energy poverty by 2030 through an influx of investment and innovation across the continent.
With a tailored program addressing key challenges and opportunities within Africa's energy sector, AEW: Invest in African Energies 2025 promises impactful sessions, innovative showcases and unparalleled networking opportunities. This premier gathering will bring together industry visionaries, African governments, national oil companies and key stakeholders across the energy value chain to tackle the complexities and seize the opportunities within Africa's thriving energy landscape.
AEW: Invest in African Energies 2025 will feature workshops, discussions and presentations covering critical topics such as investment in upstream development, legislative and regulatory policies, infrastructure growth strategies, the downstream sector and Africa's role in the global energy transition.
With just one year to go, AEW: Invest in African Energies 2025 aims to build on the momentum of the 2024 edition. The impressive five-day agenda featured seven premium stages, five content stages, two technical hubs and a pre-event workshop day. Delegates in 2025 can look forward to new project updates, industry highlights, investment opportunities and strategies that align with Africa's energy and sustainability goals.
“AEW was established with the mission to make energy poverty history by 2030. As a central pillar of Africa's energy sector, the conference offers an unparalleled platform to forge partnerships, share knowledge and drive progress,” said NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the African Energy Chamber. “Having grown into one of the continent's largest energy events, we look forward to welcoming everyone back in 2025, with next year's edition promising to surpass all prior events. We are thrilled to bring together delegates from around the world to address Africa's pressing energy needs.”
Entering its fifth year, AEW: Invest in African Energies 2025 reaffirms its position as the preferred platform for project operators, financiers, technology providers and government leaders.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Energy Chamber.
Environment minister has lifted quantity restrictions on the city’s three marine outfalls
Africa Tech Festival (www.AfricaTechFestival.com) 2024 wrapped up last week, marking the most successful edition in the event's 27-year history. Organised by Informa Tech, the event is Africa's most extensive showcase of enterprise tech innovation, bringing together influential founders, business leaders, policymakers, investors, and startups.
Building on the momentum of the event's first two days, the final day kicked off with an opening address by Alderman James Vos, Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Growth, City of Cape Town. Commenting on the host city's standing as a leading tech hub hosting 51% of South Africa's startups, he emphasised Cape Town's focus on skills development in AI and tech in particular, reiterating his excitement at “making Cape Town a focal point for African innovation and setting an example of how tech can empower communities and social change.”
LeadersIn Africa Summit
Preceding the main event, the by-invitation LeadersIn Africa Summit was an exclusive VIP series of executive discussions designed to facilitate actionable dialogue between 100 of the continent's most influential tech players. Panel sessions, fireside chats, networking events, and roundtables provided a platform for sharing insights and collaborating on solutions to Africa's tech challenges. Topics ranged from emerging technologies to AI for startups, ESG, regulatory frameworks, fundraising strategies, and support for founders and investors.
Skills development and knowledge sharing
The final day of Africa Tech Festival 2024 also featured several keynote fireside discussions across the various event streams. Skills development was a theme of the day, including a masterclass session on AI content creation, a security fundamentals certification training session, and a technical workshop where participants worked in groups to develop scaling strategies for AI pilot projects.
Key Highlights
The USAID Young African Leaders Initiative(YALI) hosted the YALI Alumni Expo and Trade Show running alongside Africa Tech Festival. The YALI Expo connected and celebrated YALI alumni making positive change in their communities by creating these networking opportunities and showcasing innovations for sustainable impact.
One of the key topics focused on the gender gap and a panel discussion on day 4 centred around Empowering Female Founders: Narrowing the Gender Gap in Venture Capital. The challenge that female-founded companies face is that only 16% of tech funding and 8% of total funding go to these companies due to bias, lack of female representation among venture capital decision-makers or insufficient diversity in teams and investment criteria. It was proposed that female representation in venture capital leadership needed to be increased, more training and support was essential to encourage female founders to build networks and strengthen pitch preparation and business strategies.
The Africa Tech Festival Awards took place on the penultimate night, at the Bay Hotel in Camps Bay, Cape Town. The awards celebrated the exceptional technological advancements and expertise across the continent and highlighted the pioneering work that is transforming lives and industries across Africa, inspiring future innovation and growth. Some of the winners included:
“Africa Tech Festival 2024 exceeded our expectations in terms of engagement, active participation by key industry stakeholders, and the sheer scale of the event. As we wrap up the 2024 event, we'd like to express our gratitude to all our sponsors and supporters, with special mention to the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies and the City of Cape Town.
As the largest and most influential telecoms and technology event in Africa, with an audience that spans the entire ICT ecosystem, we're proud of the progress made in opening dialogue, sharing insights, and working together to advance Africa's digital transformation journey,” said Informa's James Williams, Event Director of Africa Tech Festival.
Visit the AfricaTech Festival website (https://apo-opa.co/4hPy9P7) for more details.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Africa Tech Festival.
About Africa Tech Festival:
Africa Tech Festival, including anchor events AfricaCom, AfricaTech, AfricaIgnite & AI Summit Cape Town is part of the Informa Tech Connecting Africa event series. A vibrant celebration of Africa's diverse community of tech champions, Africa Tech Festival is the largest tech and digital connectivity conference and exhibition in Africa, attracting hundreds of exhibitors, more than 450 speakers and more than 15000 delegates.
