SASSA’s digital verification programme has made headway in KwaZulu-Natal. The KwaZulu-Natal regional office of the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) is reviewing over 180 000 social grant cases, as part of the income verification process. This came to light during the Portfolio Committee on Social Development’s week-long oversight of the KZN province, which kicked-off…
Abujanigeria — Nigeria has taken important steps toward stabilizing its economy through recent policy reforms, but more needs to be done to ensure these gains translate into better living standards for its citizens, according to the latest Nigeria Development Update (NDU) released by the World Bank today. Titled “From Policy to People: Bringing the Reform…
Dan Marokane, Eskom group chief executive. Eskom has largely resolved a breach in its online vending system (OVS) that allowed people to obtain free electricity, facilitated by staff colluding with criminals, it says. The power utility notes the breach revealed “critical vulnerabilities in both the physical and cyber security components of the utility’s prepaid electricity…
New research from Clean Air Task Force (CATF) explores how different timelines for achieving net-zero emissions could shape Africa’s energy, land, water, and development future. The study, Exploring Net-Zero Emissions Pathways for Africa Across Different Timelines , uses the Global Change Analysis Model (GCAM) to examine how various levels of climate ambition affect the continent’s…
The city skyline of Lujiazui Shanghai Center in China, on March 13, 2024. Cfoto | Future Publishing | Getty Images Asia-Pacific markets rose Wednesday, tracking gains on Wall Street, as hopes for a rate cut by the Federal Reserve rose, while investors also assessed August inflation data from China. Consumer prices in China fell 0.4%…
Cell C’s largest shareholder, Blue Label Telecoms, on Monday announced that an agreement has been reached on a major restructuring involving the mobile operator ahead of its likely (but still not confirmed) listing on the JSE in 2026. “The pre-listing restructuring encompasses various transactions aimed at optimising Cell C’s capital structure and balance sheet in…
Stablecoins and central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) are gaining traction worldwide, and the South African Reserve Bank has told TechCentral it is watching the developments closely as it considers if – and how – the technologies could be implemented in South Africa. US President Donald Trump last month signed the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation…
Standard Chartered has raised its year-end target for ether to US$7 500 from $4 000, citing improvement in industry engagement and uptick in holdings of the cryptocurrency in recent months. The brokerage’s new year-end target represents a premium of near 60% from ether’s more than 3-1/2 year high of $4 700 on Wednesday. The world’s second largest cryptocurrency…
The East African Community (EAC) has made notable progress in easing the movement of people across borders, placing it alongside West Africa’s ECOWAS as a continental leader. Yet, according to Alan Hirsch, Senior Research Fellow at the New South Institute and Emeritus Professor at the University of Cape Town, “there is still a long way…
Japan’s Sanseito party wins big with ‘Japanese First’ push and anti-immigration rhetoric. Japan’s far-right Sanseito party has emerged as a major winner in the country’s upper house election, riding a wave of nationalist rhetoric, anti-immigration warnings and populist pledges on tax cuts and social welfare. Once seen as a fringe movement born on YouTube during…
