Absa Group has written off R2.4-billion in software assets after a revision of its overall strategy led to changes in investment priorities and faster-than-expected technology obsolescence, its annual financial statements show. The software impairments – more than 13 times the R179-million written off a year earlier – were spread across the group, with the largest…
Zimbabwe Rights Groups Renew Justice Calls for Itai Dzamara Human rights organisations renewed calls for justice over the disappearance of pro-democracy activist Itai Dzamara, who was abducted 11 years ago. Dzamara disappeared on March 9, 2015, after being allegedly taken by unidentified men from a barber shop in Glen View, Harare. He has not…
STORY HIGHLIGHTS Launched in 2023, the South Sudan Women Social and Economic Empowerment Project (SSWSEEP) is a four-year project funded by the World Bank and implemented by the Government through the Ministry of Gender, Child, and Social Welfare (MGCSW). SSWSEEP delivers business skills training, leadership coaching, and market linkage opportunities, along with financial support to…
Is the backlash against Timothée Chalamet about more than his views on ballet and opera?
Vodacom has officially expanded its 5G mobile network to reach more than 60% of South Africa’s population, marking a significant leap in the country’s digital infrastructure. According to spokesperson Byron Kennedy, this milestone reflects a massive surge in demand for high-speed connectivity, with the number of 5G-capable devices on the network more than doubling over…
COVID vaccines saved millions of lives, but months into the rollout, a small number of people began developing dangerous blood clots in unusual parts of the body. These only happened after vaccines that used a modified adenovirus to deliver its payload – such as the AstraZeneca vaccine. Why these blood clots formed was a mystery…
The recent escalation in the Middle East has reintroduced a geopolitical risk premium into global markets, as investors price in the chance of supply disruptions and wider regional instability. For South Africa, the transmission channel is primarily through oil prices rather than direct trade exposure, since the country is not a major direct exporter to the Gulf…
The U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran are focusing attention on the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow but strategically vital waterway in the region that serves as a key artery for global oil shipments. The passage of oil tankers and other commercial ships has all but halted in the strait, sparking concerns that a prolonged conflict in…
Francois van der Merwe, founder and CEO, Otinga. South African start-up Otinga has adopted a rapid, execution-led approach to AI implementation, which it argues will help businesses overcome challenges they experience in attempting to innovate with AI. The company wants to help organisations avoid ‘innovation theatre’ – a term widely credited to Silicon Valley entrepreneur…
US President Donald Trump has told congressional Republicans that the war with Iran could be over “pretty quickly”, as he defended the military campaign and outlined Washington’s objectives in the conflict. The United States and Israel launched the campaign against Iran on February 28, with large-scale air and missile strikes on Iranian military infrastructure, including…
