Author: Stuff writer

If you live in South Africa, the words ‘immediate effect’ are usually in the same sentence with Eskom and load shedding. In true Eskom style, the power utility announced another ‘immediate effect’ resolution in the dead of night. The power utility announced late on Wednesday night that it had decided to “release’ its GCEO, Andrè de Ruyter, from his duties with immediate effect. De Ruyter, who was serving his notice period, resigned from Eskom in December 2022. “Following the convening of a special board meeting on 22 February 2023, the Eskom Board and group chief executive Andrè de Ruyter have…

Private homeowners who install rooftop solar panels will be able to claim a quarter of the cost of the panels from the government starting on 1 March 2023. Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana made the announcement during his Budget 2023 speech on Wednesday afternoon. Those who opt to go for it will be able to reduce their tax liability in the 23/24 tax year. However, not all homeowners in South Africa qualify. The 25% rebate on solar panels excludes sectional title properties. So people owning a property in a complex will not be able to benefit from the government incentive aimed…

Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana’s budget speech is expected to shed some light on how South Africans, as in government, plan to pay for Eskom’s massive debt. Godongwana will deliver his Budget Speech on Wednesday afternoon amid what is believed to be Stage 7 rolling blackouts across the country. Are we at Stage 7? South Africa is officially at Stage 6 load shedding, but could technically be on Stage 7.  On Tuesday, the utility’s spokesperson  Sikonathi Mantshantsha announced that the utility had cut 7,045 megawatts from the grid. This translates to Stage 7 load shedding, but the utility has made no…

Thanks to technology, if you’ve got a problem, there are probably a few apps to help with that. Some words and phrases don’t translate well. But for the rest, you can either travel with a translator or consider savvier ways to get your message across. Here are a few language translation apps that should come in handy, whether you’re exploring a new country or trying to have a private conversation with someone who speaks a different language. There are apps for that International Mother Language Day is celebrated every year on 21 February when the world highlights the importance of…

South African bank First National Bank (FNB) has come to the party for students who need money (for their studies) but simply don’t have the time and energy to go through the dreaded student loan bank application process. It’s not just banks that make it difficult to get a loan,. Try applying for a bursary or a loan from the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS). The paperwork is enough to exhaust even the greatest of minds, but you do what you have to do to get that paper — the degree and the money. Learn from FNB FNB has introduced…

Predictions about technology eventually snatching jobs have been around for a while and South Africa is starting to feel the effects. Telkom this week announced its intention to retrench 15% of its employees – and it says technology is to blame. “As the group manages the delicate migration of revenue between old to new technologies, it is challenged with managing the costs associated with the different technologies, the competitiveness, and sustainability of the group,” says Telkom. Telkom joins the tech retrenchment trend The telecom giant, which has moved at a snail’s pace to catch up with the latest tech, says…

Ramaphosa might go down in the history books as the president who sold the idea of a booming electric car industry during the most devastating load-shedding period in South African history. During his State of the Nation Address (SONA 2023), on another dark night in most parts of the country, Ramaphosa told a tale of boosting the electric car industry in South Africa and increasing network connectivity in rural areas where there’s often poor network connectivity. All this and more in a year where his country hasn’t missed a day of load shedding. In a speech mainly focused on the…

Load shedding took the spotlight during President Cyril Ramphosa’s 2023 State of the Nation Address (SONA 2023) on Thursday evening. Ramaphosa kicked off SONA 2023 by acknowledging the devastating impact that load shedding has had on SA’s businesses, overall economy, and the well-being of the people. In what was generally received as a disastrous move on social media (based on previous looting the country experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic), President Ramaphosa plans to add a Minister of Electricity to his cabinet. He also announced the immediate implementation of a National State of Disaster to tackle load shedding. Of course, that…

Africa sits in the perfect position to take advantage of its climate, young population, and minerals in order to shift to renewable energy, but unsurprisingly, the continent doesn’t have the money needed to do so. Due to its vast deserts, the continent has the highest potential for long-term solar generation, according to the World Bank. Climate finance remains the main barrier between Africa and its transition from coal and gas power stations to more sustainable green energy production driven by solar and wind energy. Renewable energy facilities have become cheaper to build, according to research by BloombergNEF. With more than…

Now that Twitter has found more ways to make more money, the social media platform plans to share the love with content creators by giving them a cut of the revenue generated from their content. As expected since Musk’s takeover, there’s nothing for free. Creators who want to be part of the action will pay for it. “To be eligible, the account must be a subscriber to Twitter Blue Verified,” announced Musk in a tweet on Friday. Starting today, Twitter will share ad revenue with creators for ads that appear in their reply threads — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 3,…