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Nohamba crowned Vodacom United Rugby Championship (URC) Player of the Season

Location: News

South African Rugby
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Emirates Lions utility back Sanele Nohamba was rewarded for his great form of the past eight months when he was named the Vodacom United Rugby Championship Player of the Season for his stellar performances at scrumhalf and flyhalf for the team from Johannesburg.

The 25-year-old Nohamba follows in the footsteps of DHL Stormers duo Evan Roos and Manie Libbok, who won this award in the first two seasons of URC. The other 2024 nominees were the Vodacom Bulls' duo of Cameron Hanekom (loose forward) and Kurt-Lee Arendse (wing).

The Gauteng-based trio garnered the most votes in the nomination process, with Springbok head coach Rassie Erasmus, the four South African franchises and local media selecting their star players of the season.

Nohamba – who has progressed through SA Rugby's Elite Player Development pipeline and honed his skills for the SA Schools and Junior Springbok sides – played scrumhalf and flyhalf for the Emirates Lions, starting 17 of their 18 games in 2023/24. He scored two tries, and added 32 conversions, 14 penalty goals and a drop goal for a personal tally of 119 points during the season, which placed him fourth overall after the league phase of the competition.

Mr. Mark Alexander, President of SA Rugby, congratulated Nohamba on his exceptional season, which also earned him an invitation to the Springbok alignment camps.

“It's often said that there is no more space in our game for players who are smaller in stature, but Sanele disproved that assumption this season,” said Mr. Alexander.

“What he lacks in size, he makes up for in skill, heart, and temperament. This award is a testament to his remarkable attitude. Sanele adapted seamlessly from scrumhalf to flyhalf and excelled in the No. 10 jersey, catching the attention of Rassie Erasmus.

“The Lions came very close to making the playoffs for the first time, and Sanele was one of their standout players this season. He is a deserving recipient of the Vodacom URC Player of the Season award.”

Sitho Mdlalose, CEO of Vodacom South Africa, said: “We're delighted to recognise what has been a magnificent season for Sanele Nohamba. Sanele has been a true inspiration with his exciting play for the Emirates Lions, and he really embodies the ethos of the Vodacom United Rugby Championship with his fighting spirit and his selfless service to his team.

“Sanele has taken his talent and passion for the game all the way from his upbringing in Alice in the Eastern Cape right to the biggest stages in world rugby, and now even into challenging for Springbok selection.

“We're privileged to have played a part in providing the platform for his talent to shine and grow, and to be able to recognise the hard work he's put in to make this such a defining season for him.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of South African Rugby.

For further information, please contact:
Andy Colquhoun
GM: Communications and Commercial
+27 (0) 21 928 7010
+27 (0) 82 926 0789
andyc@sarugby.co.za

De Jongh Borchardt
Communications Manager
+27 (0) 21 928 7021
+27 (0) 82 999 9979
dejonghb@sarugby.co.za

Rayaan Adriaanse
Junior Rugby Media Manager
+27 (0) 21 928 7013
+27 (0) 82 999 0022
rayaan@sarugby.co.za

Sindiswa Ximba
Media Operations Coordinator
+27 (0) 21 928 7011
+27 (0) 60 504 1069
sindiswa.ximba@sarugby.co.za

Zeena Isaacs
Springbok Media Manager
+27 (0) 21 928 7020
+27 (0) 82 357 3112
ZeenaI@sarugby.co.za

JJ Harmse
Sevens and Women's Rugby Media Manager
+27 (0) 21 928 7014
+27 (0) 71 480 4570
jjharmse@sarugby.co.za

Read moreNohamba crowned Vodacom United Rugby Championship (URC) Player of the Season

Erasmus names exciting Bok training squad

Location: News

South African Rugby
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Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus named an exciting squad of 35 players for the team's first official training camp of the season, which starts in Pretoria on Monday where the focus will be on the opening Test of the season against Wales on 22 June.

The Boks are in for a blockbuster 2024 season kicking off later this month against Wales in London. The squad includes 11 uncapped players and a cohort of players from the 2023 and 2019 Rugby World Cup-winning squads.

The uncapped players in the squad are Jordan Hendrikse (the brother of Jaden Hendrikse), Quan Horn, Edwill van der Merwe, Morne van den Berg (all Emirates Lions players), Phepsi Buthelezi, Siya Masuku, Ethan Hooker (from the Hollywoodbets Sharks), Ben-Jason Dixon, Sacha Feinberg-Mgomezulu, Neethling Fouche and Andre-Hugo Venter (DHL Stormers), who were outstanding in their respective competitions this season.

Players based in Europe, the UK and Ireland will not be considered for the Boks' first Test of the season against Wales at Twickenham. Players in contention from the Vodacom Bulls, who advanced to the semi-final of the Vodacom United Rugby Championship, were also not considered for this squad.

The squad includes 19 forwards and 16 backs. Rugby World Cup-winning flyhalf Handre Pollard and No 8 Jasper Wiese (who is serving a six-week ban) have been named in the group and will be allowed to train with their team-mates, but will only be available for selection after the Wales Test.

Erasmus included a local contingent from the newly crowned EPCR Challenge Cup champions, the Hollywoodbets Sharks, and the Emirates Lions – whose Vodacom URC seasons came to a halt at the conclusion of the pool stages last weekend – as well as the DHL Stormers, who were knocked out of the competition earlier this evening against the Glasgow Warriors. Players plying their trade in Japan were also named in the squad.

The only players in the group who did not participate in either of the Springbok alignment sessions in March and May respectively, as well as the virtual alignment camp hosted early in May, are Hooker and Van der Merwe.

“We selected a group of players featuring a good mix of youth and experience, and in terms of the young players especially, we believe they have the potential to make the step-up to top international rugby,” said Erasmus.

“We've been following all their performances closely, we had the luxury of presenting our plans to them and getting to know them as individuals off the field at the alignment camps, and we are pleased with the enthusiasm they showed and willingness to learn.

“With the players based in Europe, the UK and Ireland not available for Wales, we anticipate that there will be a few players making their Test debuts in that match, but even for those who do not make the cut, having them in camp and getting the chance to work closely with them on the field will set them and the team in good stead as we prepare for this season and start laying the foundation for the 2027 World Cup in Australia.”

Erasmus added: “We gained immense value by granting a few players a chance to prove what they can do at international level in the last few years leading up to the 2023 World Cup. Some of the players who made their Test debuts in that time were members of the squad that lifted the trophy in Paris, and we feel it is important that we continue blooding new players as we build toward the future.

“As things stand, we have a bunch of young players that already have Test experience and who know exactly how we operate as a team and what is expected of them at this level, and we have no doubt that we will reap the rewards in the years to come as we continue to increase our squad depth.

“As always there are a few unlucky players who missed out on selection this time, but the door will always be open for them to be called up if the need arises.”

Steven Kitshoff, Lood de Jager and Jaden Hendrikse among a handful players were not considered for the squad due to injury.

The Wales Test will be followed by the Castle Lager Incoming Series which features back-to-back Tests against Ireland (ranked second in the world) in Pretoria and Durban respectively (on 6 and 13 July) and a historic first Test against Portugal in Bloemfontein on 20 July.

The Springboks will then turn their attention to the Castle Lager Rugby Championship where they will line up against Australia in Brisbane and Perth (on 10 and 17 August) before facing arch-rivals New Zealand on consecutive weekends in South Africa in Johannesburg and Cape Town respectively (on 31 August and 7 September). They will then make a short trip to Argentina where they will face the Pumas in Santiago (on 21 September) and then in Nelspruit on 28 September.

This will be followed by the traditional year-end tour featuring Tests against Scotland in Edinburgh (9 November), England in London (16 November) and Wales in Cardiff (23 November).

Springbok training squad (in alphabetical order):

Forwards: Phepsi Buthelezi (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Joseph Dweba, Ben-Jason Dixon (both DHL Stormers), Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz), Eben Etzebeth (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Neethling Fouche (DHL Stormers), Vincent Koch (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Frans Malherbe (DHL Stormers), Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears), Bongi Mbonambi (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Ntuthuko Mchunu (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Salmaan Moerat (DHL Stormers), Franco Mostert (Honda Heat), Ox Nche (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Evan Roos (DHL Stormers), Kwagga Smith (Blu Revs), Andre-Hugo Venter (DHL Stormers), Jasper Wiese (Leicester Tigers).

Backs: Damian de Allende (Panasonic Wild Knights), Faf de Klerk (Canon Eagles), Andre Esterhuizen (Harlequins), Aphelele Fassi (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Jordan Hendrikse (Emirates Lions), Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (DHL Stormers), Ethan Hooker (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Quan Horn (Emirates Lions), Cheslin Kolbe (Suntory Sungoliath) Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles), Manie Libbok (DHL Stormers), Makazole Mapimpi, Siya Masuku (both Hollywoodbets Sharks), Handre Pollard (Leicester Tigers), Morne van den Berg (Emirates Lions), Edwill van der Merwe (Emirates Lions), Grant Williams (Hollywoodbets Sharks).

Issued by SA Rugby Communications

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of South African Rugby.

Read moreErasmus names exciting Bok training squad

Celebrating a legacy of smiles in children’s lives

Location: Business

JOHANNESBURG – Since 2007, the Vodacom Foundation has proudly partnered with the Smile Foundation to support Smile Week, an initiative that provides life-changing reconstructive surgery to children with treatable facial anomalies. Smile Week not only addresses the physical challenges faced by these young people but also alleviates the emotional distress associated with feeling different, enabling …

Read moreCelebrating a legacy of smiles in children’s lives

Early Career opportunities to empower young talent in STEM

Location: Business

Vodacom has opened applications to its Early Careers programmes for the 2025 intake. The initiative is part of Vodacom’s commitment to supporting youth development in South Africa, whilst creating an inclusive digital society by nurturing emerging talent in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) through employment and education opportunities. “As Vodacom celebrates connecting South Africans …

Read moreEarly Career opportunities to empower young talent in STEM

Don’t Miss the Kid-Preneur Market at Horizon Shopping Centre This Saturday!

Location: Entertainment, MyPR

Hey there, young entrepreneurs and savvy shoppers! Get ready for an unforgettable experience at the Kidpreneur Market happening this Saturday! Explore a variety of stalls featuring: Yummy treats and snacks Bubble tea to quench your thirst Cool t-shirts and mugs Beauty products to pamper yourself Unique jewellery pieces Exciting children’s books But that’s not all! …

Read moreDon’t Miss the Kid-Preneur Market at Horizon Shopping Centre This Saturday!

Dube-Ncube commends setting up of victim-friendly rooms at police stations

Location: News

Dube-Ncube commends setting up of victim-friendly rooms at police stations

KwaZulu-Natal Premier, Nomusa Dube-Ncube, has commended the installation of victim-friendly rooms at 28 police stations, boreholes and streetlights at a gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) hotspot in Nongoma.

The victim-friendly rooms were installed by lsibaya Casino, while Vodacom installed the boreholes and streetlights.

Dube-Ncube said at least 755 survivors of GBVF accessed services in government supported GBVF shelters, with 112 964 survivors receiving psychosocial support services from the Department of Social Development and their partners.

“A total of 3 540 victims of GBV and crime accessed Khuseleka/White Door houses and shelters. District focal points and stakeholders from 11 districts were trained as master trainers,” Dube-Ncube said.

The Premier said there are currently 74 functional ward-based rapid response teams integrated into war rooms.

The Premier emphasised that one of the best ways is to assist GBV survivors through economic empowerment, highlighting that 26 401 women were reached with economic empowerment programmes this year.

“Three hundred women in business have been supported with card machines by the Office of the Premier. A GBVF App with a panic button is being developed by the Moses Kotane Institute, with funds from lsibaya Casino.

“We are determined to ensure that women are continuously empowered and in this regard, through the Department of Social Development, SEDA [Small Enterprise Development Agency] and EDTEA [Economic Development, Tourism, and Environmental], we have trained over 500 women in business skills,” the Premier said.

She said most of these women were survivors of GBV and to this end, they have received start-up packs to set up and run their own businesses. 

Forging partnerships for GBV response programmes

Meanwhile, the KwaZulu-Natal Office of the Premier has forged strategic partnerships for the Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) Response Programmes.

The office, as the coordinating office, is leading the implementation of the Provincial GBVF Strategic Implementation Plan, which was approved by the provincial Executive Council in 2022.

“These partners include the KZN Gaming Board, lsibaya Casino, United Nations Population Fund, AIDS Foundation of South Africa, TBHIV Care, Cloud Therapist, Vodacom, lmbumba Foundation, SAB, and Spar Group. This structure is responsible for addressing high profile cases and supporting District Rapid Response Teams,” Dube-Ncube said. – SAnews.gov.za

GabiK
Thu, 02/29/2024 - 15:11

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Read moreDube-Ncube commends setting up of victim-friendly rooms at police stations

Jacaranda FM Announces Media Partnership With Bulls Daisies

Location: MyPR

Today Jacaranda FM, one of Mzansi’s favourite music radio stations announced it’s official media partnership with the Bulls Daisies – a pioneering South African women’s rugby team based at Loftus Versveld Stadium in Pretoria. “We have a massive footprint in Gauteng where rugby, like music, is part of our culture and meant to be shared …

Read moreJacaranda FM Announces Media Partnership With Bulls Daisies

The Earthshot Prize Announces Earthshot Week and Awards in Cape Town this November

Location: News
MultiChoice Group

The Earthshot Prize will travel to Cape Town, South Africa this November for Earthshot Week 2024, featuring The Prize's annual Awards Ceremony. Across five days of landmark events, The Earthshot Prize will celebrate the groundbreaking work of fifteen global environmental solutions and convene leading innovators, Earthshot Alumni, partners, investors and philanthropists for inspiring conversations and action on catalysing solutions to protect and restore our planet.

The Earthshot Prize is an ambitious global environmental prize which aims to discover and help scale the world's most innovative climate and environmental solutions to protect and restore our planet. The Prize is centered around five ‘Earthshots'; simple but aspirational goals to ensure our communities, oceans and ecosystems can thrive together in harmony for generations to come.

This year, The Earthshot Prize will bring its annual celebration to South Africa for the first time, following events in London in 2021, Boston in 2022 and Singapore in 2023. Over the coming months, a rigorous selection process will unearth fifteen Finalists from around the world, of whom five will be awarded a £1 million (R23 800 000,00) prize to scale their solutions, during the ceremony in Cape Town.

Hannah Jones, CEO of The Earthshot Prize said: “This is the Earthshot Decade, a decade in which we must, by 2030, reduce CO2 emissions by over 40 percent, and protect 30 percent of nature, oceans, and freshwater. The nominations to The Earthshot Prize remind us that human ingenuity, grit and determination can turn the seemingly impossible into the new normal. We're delighted to be working with changemakers and partners across Africa to spotlight the incredible innovation emerging across the continent, to convene courageous conversations about scale and finance, and to partner with young creators and filmmakers to tell the story of changemakers across Africa.”

Nearly 400 nominees for this year's Prize are Africa-based, highlighting the trailblazing creativity and innovation across the continent with the potential to inspire optimism and provide pathways to transformative change around the world. One of The Prize's inspiring 2023 finalists was Cape Town's ABALOBI, a non-profit partnership between fishers and scientists aimed at protecting small-scale fishing communities while arming their customers with better information about the origin of their seafood.

Despite contributing the least to global warming and having the lowest emissions, Africa is the most vulnerable continent to the impacts of climate change. In 2022 alone, more than 110 million people across Africa were directly affected by weather, climate, and water-related hazards according to the World Meteorological Organization. Yet in the face of these challenges, nearly all African countries have committed to enhancing climate action through reducing their greenhouse gas emissions and building resilience.

Earthshot Week will begin with The Prize's annual Awards Ceremony, an evening of extraordinary storytelling and star-studded performances, celebrating the work of the fifteen Earthshot Prize finalists. The ceremony will be followed by Earthshot+, a day of thought-provoking conversations aimed at multiplying the impact of The Earthshot Prize Winners and Finalists.

During Earthshot Week, Cape Town will also play host to the annual Earthshot Fellowship Retreat which will kickstart the yearlong Earthshot Prize Fellowship Programme. The programme is a key element of the wrap-around support that each cohort of fifteen Finalists receives in addition to the £1 million prize, providing mentorship, resources and technical support, helping to accelerate the growth of each groundbreaking solution. That support includes access to the Prize's robust network of the world's largest businesses, philanthropists, investors and environmental organizations committed to climate action.

The Prize has recently completed its annual nominations process, culminating in nearly 2500 entries submitted from 432 Official Nominators from around the world, doubling the nominations from any previous year. Nearly 400 of the 2024 nominations are headquartered in Africa, three times more than in any previous set of nominations. The fifteen new finalists chosen this year will be emblematic of a growing global movement of innovators, gamechangers and entrepreneurs creating transformative solutions that, if scaled, could accelerate a green, just transition to a net zero world.

The Prize's first three cohorts of 45 Finalists have already driven incredible impact to repair and regenerate our planet with more than 1.5 million people benefiting directly from their solutions. Over 7,000 hectares of land and almost 2.1 million hectares of ocean have been protected or restored, while over 35,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions have been reduced, avoided or sequestered. The Prize's 2023 Finalists, announced this past autumn, are well on their way to creating similar impact.

The Earthshot Prize is proud to partner with MultiChoice Group to bring Earthshot Week to Africa. As a member of The Earthshot Prize Global Alliance of Partners, the MultiChoice Group is part of a global network of non-profit and international organizations committed to the environment and sustainable development. It is one of the fastest-growing entertainment providers globally, delivering entertainment products and services to more than 22m households across 50 countries on the African continent. In partnership with MultiChoice, The Earthshot Prize will provide a platform to African Youth Creators to spotlight and celebrate African solutions and the people behind them.

Imtiaz Patel, MultiChoice Group Chairman, said: “As the leading entertainment company in Africa, we are immensely proud to be the African Broadcast partner for Earthshot Prize at such a monumental time. This marks the first time the prestigious prize comes to our continent.

MultiChoice is well positioned to not only amplify the urgent message of climate change but also to inspire and galvanize innovators, corporate partners, and governments to prioritize sustainable solutions. This partnership signifies our ongoing commitment to fostering a sustainable future for Africa, and we look forward to playing a pivotal role in advancing the goals of The Earthshot Prize.”

The 2024 Earthshot Prize Finalists will be unveiled in September. More details about The Earthshot Prize Awards Ceremony and Earthshot Week in Cape Town will be released in due course.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of MultiChoice Group.

Contact:
For The Earthshot Prize:
earthshotprize@fgsglobal.com

For MultiChoice Group:
Litlhare.moteetee@multichoice.co.za

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About The Earthshot Prize:
Founded by Prince William and incubated in the The Royal Foundation in 2020 for a year before becoming an independent platform/organization, The Earthshot Prize is a global environmental prize and platform designed to discover, accelerate and scale ground-breaking solutions to repair and regenerate the planet. Inspired by President John F. Kennedy's Moonshot, which united millions of people around the goal of reaching the moon, The Earthshot Prize aims to catalyse an Earthshot challenge to urgently encourage and scale innovative solutions that can help put the world firmly on a trajectory towards a stable climate, where communities, oceans and biodiversity thrive in harmony by 2030. The five challenges are: Protect and Restore Nature; Clean Our Air; Revive Our Oceans; Build a Waste-Free World; and Fix Our Climate.

The Prize aims to turn the current pessimism surrounding environmental issues into optimism by championing inspiring leadership and helping to scale incredible cutting-edge solutions. It will discover 50 winners over 10 years with the power to repair the planet. More than an award, The Earthshot Prize works in partnership with a Global Alliance of Partners to support the scaling of the solutions discovered and selected each year.

The Global Alliance Founding Partners are a group of leading global organizations and philanthropists, which act as strategic funding partners to the Prize, including Aga Khan Development Network, Bezos Earth Fund, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Breakthrough Energy Foundation, Coleman Family Ventures, DP World in partnership with Dubai EXPO 2020, Eleven Eleven Foundation, Holch Povlsen Foundation, Jack Ma Foundation, Law Family Charitable Foundation, Legado Para A Juventude, Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth, Marc and Lynne Benioff, Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, Rob Walton Foundation, Sandy and Paul Edgerley, Standard Chartered Bank, Temasek Trust and Wyc Grousbeck and Emilia Fazzalari.

Global Alliance Partners are non-profit environment and sustainable development organizations that bring expertise, global reach and serve as nominating organizations each year. For full list see website: Global Alliance - Earthshot Prize.

Global Alliance Members are some of the world's largest and most influential companies and brands that will support The Earthshot Prize, implement ambitious changes within their businesses and accelerate the advancement of the solutions of Prize Finalists and Winners.

They are: Arup, Bloomberg L.P., Deloitte, Herbert Smith Freehills, Hitachi, Ingka Group (IKEA), Microsoft, The Multichoice Group, Natura &Co, Safaricom, Salesforce, Unilever, Vodacom Group and Walmart. For more information about The Earthshot Prize, visit: www.EarthShotPrize.org.

About MultiChoice Group:
MultiChoice Group (MCG), which listed in the Main Board of the JSE on 27 February 2019, is one of the fastest-growing video entertainment providers globally, delivering entertainment products and services more than 22m households across 50 countries on the African continent. Its track record of more than 30 years is reflective of a commitment to provide audiences with only the best local, sport and international content.

MCG's strong partnerships with distributors, installers and telecommunication companies, along with its well-established payment solutions, competitive pricing and choice of viewership packages continue to secure its place in the global market, while also providing solutions unique to the African market. Its direct-to-home (DTH), digital terrestrial television.

(DTT) and over-the-top (OTT) solutions enable the business to stay relevant and aligned to changing consumer habits while capturing new markets. Content is at the very core of the business. MCG aims to deliver quality content anywhere, anytime and on any device through a comprehensive video entertainment offering at different price points. As pioneers in African video entertainment, MCG plays an important role in making information and entertainment easily accessible to Africans.

MCG aims to secure content rights in a manner that is cost-effective and reflective of the diversity of its audiences. Its substantial portfolio includes award-winning local content (a key differentiator in its service offering), a leading sport offering (including production capabilities) and access to international content, which is all shared on the group's platforms: DStv, GOtv, Showmax, M-Net and SuperSport.

MCG has superior technology capability through the security solutions that Irdeto, its technology company, brings to the group. These solutions enable MultiChoice to protect its investment, create new offerings and combat cybercrime. With 50 years' expertise in software security, Irdeto's software security solutions and cyber services protect over 5bn devices and applications for some of the world's best brands.

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Read moreThe Earthshot Prize Announces Earthshot Week and Awards in Cape Town this November

Africa’s Top Employer

Location: Business

The Vodacom Group has been ranked by the Top Employers Institute as the continent’s number one employer. This prestigious certification and first place ranking has also been awarded to Vodacom South Africa and Vodacom Mozambique. Each year, the Top Employers Institute certifies organisations who are focused on putting their people first through exceptional Human Resource …

Read moreAfrica’s Top Employer

Women’s football stars shine at the Hollywoodbets Super League Awards

Location: MyPR

The third season of the Hollywoodbets Super League has proven to be amazing as it continues to build on the foundations that have been laid in previous years. This season stands as a testament to the league’s exceptional quality, evident in an evening dedicated to honouring the outstanding South African female footballers who showcased extraordinary …

Read moreWomen’s football stars shine at the Hollywoodbets Super League Awards

KZN positions to become a technological hub

Location: News

KZN positions to become a technological hub

The KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government is accelerating efforts to roll out broadband across the province in order to ensure universal connectivity, and position the province as a technological hub.
 
Speaking at the opening of the KwaZulu-Natal Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) Summit, currently underway at the Durban Exhibition Centre, Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube said as part of KwaZulu-Natal Digital Transformation Strategy, the province aims to deliver a citizen-centric plan which guides the leap to a digitally transformed society. 

“Our strategy is awake to the reality that the province is currently only 27% connected and we have identified the need to accelerate the connectivity of the entire province. Among others, our Digital Transformation Strategy will aid government-to-government interaction across spheres, government-to-citizen interaction, and government-to-business interaction,” Dube-Ncube said.

Held from 09-10 November 2023, the summit brings together digital experts, including stakeholders and representatives from the public and private sectors to discuss and demonstrate the role of technology in improving operations, processes and service delivery for the benefit of the communities in KwaZulu-Natal.

The summit, which is hosted jointly with Vodacom Business and provincial government, is a unique platform for ICT experts, private sector and government leaders to engage and explore cutting-edge technology solutions designed to transform the business landscape.

Themed “Moving KZN Towards a Smart Province”, the summit focuses on turning KwaZulu-Natal into a smart and technology connected province, which leaves no one behind.

Dube-Ncube highlighted that the province is hard at work, and currently rolling out Wi-Fi hotspots and Digi-centres in townships and rural centres, including libraries, schools, health youth zones, and community service centres. 

Work done by the Office of the Premier includes the roll-out of a series of 4IR activations to install Wi-Fi hotspots that will enable schools and citizens to access internet as well as the training of 3 875 youth in four activated districts covering 16 areas. 

“Digital hubs were installed at the schools to enable the learners to have access to equipment [and] teachers were also trained in data science to include in their school’s curriculum, to ensure the learners will be trained on areas of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics.

“All 164 provincial libraries have Wi-Fi connectivity and all hospitals and clinics are connected,” Dube-Ncube said. 

The Premier emphasised the importance of building broadband infrastructure together with the private sector to improve the status of connectivity in the province.

“Partnerships between private and public sector are central and mutually beneficial. We welcome and appreciate the role that the private sector is playing in supporting our vision of positioning KwaZulu-Natal as a Smart Province,” Dube-Ncube said.

Vodacom Business has been working with the government on several connectivity solutions to help the province achieve its universal connectivity targets.

Meanwhile, the Department of Transport is in discussions with the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) to investigate the implementation of an online registration system, which will be piloted in the uMgungundlovu and eThekwini Districts.

The provincial Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (EDTEA) has to date, spent almost R8.6 million in rolling out digital centres across the province. – SAnews.gov.za

 

GabiK
Fri, 11/10/2023 - 10:54

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MultiChoice to air the prestigious Earthshot Prize Awards ceremony on screens across Africa

Location: News

MultiChoice Group
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The MultiChoice Group (www.MultiChoice.com), an official African media broadcast partner for The Earthshot Prize, will once again air the prestigious competition's third annual awards ceremony which was filmed in Singapore on Tuesday 7 November, and reveals the five winners of The Earthshot Prize.

This year, the Awards was hosted by Emmy-award winner Hannah Waddingham, who was joined by Academy award-winning actor and Earthshot Prize council member Cate Blanchett, actor Lana Condor, wildlife conservationist Robert Irwin, and actor and humanitarian Nomzamo Mbatha to announce the five winners who will each be awarded £1 million to help scale their solutions and accelerate their positive impact on people, communities, and the planet.

In addition to spotlighting the stories of The Earthshot Prize Finalists and Winners, the broadcast will feature inspirational performances from some of the world's most exciting musical artists, including Bastille, OneRepublic and Singaporean choral society, Voices of Singapore.

ABALOBI was founded in South Africa by Serge Raemaekers and Nico Waldeck as a non-profit partnership between fishers and scientists. Its aim is to protect small-scale fishing communities and nurture their ocean stewardship, while arming their customers with better information about where their seafood comes from.

An ABALOBI app connects fishers with a digital marketplace where they register their catches and log precisely how, when and where the fish originate. For the first time, small-scale fishers have a tool to demonstrate transparently that they are fishing sustainably, and in exchange, they receive a fair price for their catch.

Led by Manja Kargbo, Freetown the Treetown is an ambitious, city-led, “pay-to- grow” scheme to plant, grow and digitally track trees, which aims to restore what has been lost and protect it for future generations.

Through this initiative, city residents are paid to plant and monitor trees and mangroves, which are tracked via an online platform. The initiative is funded with tokens sold on private and carbon markets. The city council also works with locals to raise awareness of the importance of its trees and engage the community in restorative activities.

Inspired by President John F. Kennedy's “Moonshot” challenge that pioneered space travel in the 1960s, The Earthshot Prize is an ambitious global environmental prize which aims to discover and scale the best solutions to help repair our planet within the remainder of this decade.

Every year, The Earthshot Prize will find and reward solutions to five “Earthshot” goals – Protect and Restore Nature; Clean Our Air; Revive Our Oceans; Build A Waste-Free World and Fix Our Climate. These winning solutions will have the greatest impact on the biggest environmental challenges facing our planet and winners and finalists will have access to a global support network to scale their work.

The award ceremony will air on MultiChoice channels across Africa from Monday, 13th November:

CHANNEL

1st BROADCAST – 13 Nov

REPEAT BROADCAST

M-Net 101/SADAC

21h00 (CAT)

14 Nov @12h00 (CAT)

M-Net E & W

21h00 (EAT/WAT)

14 Nov @12h00 (EAT/WAT)

1Magic

21h00 (CAT)

19 Nov @23h00 (CAT)

Maisha Magic East

21h00 (EAT)

19 Nov @15h00 (EAT)

One Zed

21h30 (CAT)

18 Nov @17h00 (CAT)

ZTN

21h00 (CAT)

20 Nov @20h00 (CAT)

3KTV

21h00 (CAT)

15 Nov @21h00 (CAT)

Africa Magic Family

21h00 (WAT)

16 Nov @15h00 (WAT)

Mambo Moto

21h00 (EAT)

14 Nov @15h00 (EAT)

Maisha Magic Poa

21h00 (EAT)

19 Nov @18h00 (EAT)

Pearl Magic

21h00 (EAT)

19 Nov @12h00 (EAT)

Akwaaba Abusua

21h00 (GMT)

20 Nov @16h00 (GMT)

NewzRoom Afrika

21h00 (CAT)

18 Nov @17h00 (CAT)

Showmax (All Regions)

14 November 06h00

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of MultiChoice Group.

For more information on contact:

MultiChoice Group Contact Details:
Litlhare Moteetee, Senior Manager: Corporate Communications 
Tel: +27 72 490 4609 
Litlhare.Moteetee@Multichoice.co.za  

The Earthshot Prize Contact Details:
Taylor Patterson, Director of Media and Engagement
Taylor.patterson@earthshotprize.org

About MultiChoice Group:
MultiChoice Group (MCG), listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE), is a leading provider of entertainment and related consumer services, with an expanding ecosystem, underpinned by scalable technologies, and a track record now spanning almost 40 years.  MCG provides video entertainment products and services through its linear and streaming platforms to 23.5m households across 50 countries on the African continent and continues to grow by producing and acquiring the best local, sport and international content and offering tiered subscription packages and aggregated streaming services to its customer base. MCG's superior technology capabilities enables it to continue innovating around distribution, digital and payment solutions and content security to offer the best customer experience across the continent. Reaching up to 100 million individuals on a daily basis, the MultiChoice Group is using its scale and distribution to expand its platform to include sports betting and interactive entertainment, fin-tech services, household services (focused on internet connectivity and emergency response services) and ed-tech. Irdeto, MCG's technology business, provides platform cybersecurity services which protect over 6bn devices and applications globally for some of the world's best media and technology brands, as well as clients in the connected industries sector. 

About The Earthshot Prize:
Founded by Prince William and The Royal Foundation in 2020, The Earthshot Prize (www.EarthshotPrize.org) is a global environmental prize to discover, accelerate and scale ground-breaking eco-solutions to repair and regenerate the planet. Inspired by President John F. Kennedy's Moonshot, which united millions of people around the goal of reaching the moon, The Earthshot Prize aims to catalyse an Earthshot challenge to urgently encourage and scale innovative solutions that can help put the world firmly on a trajectory towards a stable climate, where communities, oceans and biodiversity thrive in harmony by 2030. The five challenges are: Protect and Restore Nature; Clean our Air; Revive our Oceans; Build a Waste-free World; and Fix our Climate.

The Prize aims to turn the current pessimism surrounding environmental issues into optimism but championing inspiring leadership and helping to scale incredible cutting-edge solutions. It will discover 50 winners over 10 years with the power to repair the planet. More than a prize, The Earthshot Prize works in partnership with a Global Alliance of Partners to support the scaling of the solutions discovered and selected each year.

The Global Alliance Founding Partners are a group of leading global organisations and philanthropists which act as strategic funding partners to the Prize, including Aga Khan Development Network, Bezos Earth Fund, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Breakthrough Energy Foundation, Coleman Family Ventures, DP World in partnership with Dubai EXPO 2020, Eleven Eleven Foundation, Holch Povlsen Foundation, Jack Ma Foundation, Legado Para A Juventude, Marc and Lynne Benioff, Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth, Paul G. Allen Family Foundation and Rob & Melani Walton Foundation.

Global Alliance Partners are non-profit environment and sustainable development organisations that bring expertise, global reach and serve as nominating organisations each year. For full list see website: Global Alliance - Earthshot Prize (https://apo-opa.info/3QvHM8G).

Global Alliance Members are some of the world's largest and most influential companies and brands who will support The Earthshot Prize, implement ambitious changes within their businesses and accelerate the advancement of the solutions of Prize Finalists and Winners. They are: Arup, Bloomberg L.P., Deloitte, Herbert Smith Freehills, Hitachi, Ingka Group (IKEA), Microsoft, The MultiChoice Group, Natura &Co, Safaricom, Salesforce, Unilever, Vodacom Group, Walmart.

Read moreMultiChoice to air the prestigious Earthshot Prize Awards ceremony on screens across Africa

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