Icasa approves Cell C licence transfer to Blue Label subsidiary

The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) has approved transfer of control of Cell C’s relevant telecommunications licences to Blue Label subsidiary The Prepaid Company. This... 

Condra clinches order to supply three cranes for Namakwa Sands project

Crane manufacturer Condra Cranes has secured an order from Tronox Mineral Sands for three cranes for the Namakwa Sands East orange feldspathic sand (OFS) project, in Brand-se-Baai, 385 km north of... 

MDPMI provisional report to be released in early part of 2025

The Competition Commission aims to publish the provisional report of its Media and Digital Platforms Market Inquiry (MDPMI) early in 2025. This follows an extension of the initial publication... 

Analogue switch-off now set for March 31

The final switch-off date for South Africa’s analogue frequencies has now been set for the end of March. The Department of Communications and Digital Technologies’ (DCDT’s) three-month extension... 

First module of Hammanskraal water project completed

The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS), the City of Tshwane (CoT) metropolitan municipality and the Magalies Water Board are advancing the long-awaited Magalies Klipdrift Water Treatment... 

Rand Water to embark on 24-hour maintenance on Germiston pipeline

Rand Water is preparing for planned maintenance work to repair a leak that was detected on the O2 pipeline beneath Nasmith Road in Germiston, in the Ekurhuleni municipality. The O2 pipeline will be... 

Sanlam installs water storage tanks in schools

Financial services company Sanlam has installed water storage tanks at Rebongwe Primary School in Meadowlands East, Soweto, as part of its Kas’lam community programme. The programme directly... 

Vodacom Group, partners to upskill 1m young people in eight African countries

Vodacom Group has partnered with technology providers AWS, Microsoft, Skillsoft and other collaborating organisations to equip one-million young people across eight African countries with digital... 

Independent reports highlight decline in water systems, wastewater treatment plants

Nongovernmental organisation AfriForum’s latest independent Blue Drop and Green Drop reports have highlighted a regression in South Africa’s water systems, particularly wastewater treatment works.... 

South Africa can play a significant role in global technology, sustainability

The 2025 World Economic Forum, set to be held in Davos from January 20 to 24, provides an unparalleled platform for South Africa to assert itself as a global leader in technology and... 

Rainfall boosts South Africa’s, Vaal dam’s water storage levels

Recent rainfall has boosted the water levels of the Vaal dam significantly, with plans to fill the dam with water from Sterkfontein dam no longer necessary. Over the past few months, as the Lesotho... 

Phila Dube appointed as Maziv group chief commercial officer

Fibre infrastructure operators Vumatel and Dark Fibre Africa parent company Maziv has appointed Phila Dube as group chief commercial officer, further strengthening the group’s leadership team.... 

Huawei showcases all-optical smart home

Information and communication technology group Huawei has launched an intelligent home in the Bo-Kaap neighbourhood, in the Western Cape. The All-Optical Intelligent home, powered by Huawei’s... 

5G remains fastest-growing subscription type in Africa

As mobile subscriptions in sub-Saharan Africa grow at 4% a year, increasing from 950-million in 2023 to 1.2-billion by 2030, the November 2024 edition of the Ericsson Mobility Report forecasts that... 

Tech, collaboration key to solving sanitation challenges

Enhanced collaboration between government, the private sector and civil society, along with the deployment of technological innovations, will help address the sanitation-related challenges... 

MTN sponsors microgrid initiative delivering renewable energy, connectivity to Orange Farm

Telecommunications group MTN South Africa is sponsoring a microgrid initiative in Orange Farm to bring renewable energy, Internet connectivity and new economic opportunities to the area. MTN’s... 

Rand Water prepares for more maintenance

Rand Water is preparing to embark on its next planned water infrastructure maintenance project this week. On Friday, the utility will start repairs of the B1/B2 pipeline leak at Zuikerbosch, which... 

Icasa gazettes new call termination rates glide path

The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) has published the amendments to the 2014 Call Termination Regulations, setting a new three-year glide path for termination rates in... 

Joburg Water optimistic regarding turnaround plan amid challenges, R27bn backlog

Against a challenging backdrop of high – and rising – water demand, illegal connections, nonpayment for water, servitude encroachments and aging infrastructure, Johannesburg Water is happy with the... 

Wastewater treatment works polluting Gauteng’s water courses

Wastewater treatment plants are the main polluters of Gauteng’s water courses, says Water and Sanitation Deputy Minister Sello Seitlholo, noting that the state of municipalities’ wastewater... 

Gauteng water crisis won’t be solved without infrastructure and demand interventions

Gauteng, South Africa’s most populous province and economic hub, eagerly anticipates a significant inflow of additional water in 2028 from the second phase of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project... 

Boatbuilding crane sets new record for Cape Town-based company

Cape Town-based BB Cranes is preparing to manufacture its first 30-m-span overhead crane as part of  an order for six cranes for boatbuilder and catamarans manufacturer Robertson and Caine. The... 

Vicious cycle of municipal debt to water boards calls for comprehensive, urgent measures – Minister

Decisive action is required to break the "vicious cycles" plaguing municipalities and the water sector at large as municipal debt to water boards continues to rise, Cooperative Governance and... 

Huawei Cloud aims to propel digital transformation in SA

Huawei Cloud aims to accelerate digital transformation for local industries over the next five years to support the implementation of South Africa's National Digital and Cloud Policy and drive... 

Gauteng water crisis won’t be solved without infrastructure and demand interventions

Gauteng, South Africa’s most populous province and economic hub, eagerly anticipates a significant inflow of additional water in 2028 from the second phase of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project... 

Oxbow Hydropower ESIA contract awarded

The Lesotho Highlands Development Authority (LHDA) has awarded the environmental and social impact assessment (ESIA) contract for the Oxbow Hydropower Scheme to a joint venture comprising Italy’s... 

Independent blue, green drop reports show water quality decline

AfriForum’s independent blue drop and green drop reports have found a regression in South Africa’s water systems, particularly wastewater treatment works. The organisation’s yearly blue drop... 

Sterkfontein set to replenish Vaal dam water levels

As the water level of the Vaal dam nears the critical 18% mark, preparations are under way to release water from the back-up Sterkfontein dam to augment water supply for Gauteng and surrounding... 

EAAIF, IFC and Proparco coanchor investors in oversubscribed $1.2bn IHS Holding bond

Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG) company, the Emerging Africa & Asia Infrastructure Fund (EAAIF), managed by Ninety One, acted as a coanchor investor, alongside IFC and Proparco, in... 

LHDA awards Oxbow Hydropower Scheme design contract

The Lesotho Highlands Development Authority (LHDA) has awarded the engineering design and construction supervision contract for the Oxbow Hydropower Scheme – Lesotho’s preferred option for the... 

MTN extends Mupita’s contract

MTN Group on Friday said that group president and CEO Ralph Mupita’s employment agreement has been extended until August 31, 2030. The group reached an agreement with Mupita on the extension of his... 

Dam owners required to register their dams within two months

Owners of unregistered dams meeting the criteria for classification as a dam with a safety risk have two months to undertake the dam registration process to ensure dam safety compliance. This... 

Africa’s mobile network operators seek renewable energy for connectivity

As Africa embraces the digital age, and demand for robust, reliable digital connectivity rapidly increases, the continent’s energy challenges are negatively affecting mobile network operators and... 

Repair work starts on Lesotho Highlands Water Project tunnel

Progress is being made on the maintenance and repair of the Lesotho Highlands water tunnel, which was shut down more than a month ago to undertake the critical work that will ensure the... 

Cities, states and regions can play a powerful role in mitigating climate change

Subnational governments have a critical role to play in climate change mitigation and adaption, having already demonstrated extraordinary ambition, said Under2 Coalition director Nehmat Kaur. While... 

E-tolls debt bites into Gauteng’s finances

Hard choices are having to be made to enable the Gauteng provincial government (GPG) to meet its e-toll debt obligations. In 2022, the GPG accepted its 30% debt contribution to settle South African... 

MTN Group launches 5G technology in Benin, Congo-Brazzaville

MTN Group has launched commercial 5G networks in Benin and the Republic of Congo. Since its first commercial 5G launch in South Africa in 2020, the telecommunications group has its 5G offerings... 

Deadline looms for comments on framework that will shape South Africa’s AI policy

Stakeholders have until November 29 to comment on South Africa’s National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy Framework, which will guide the development and adoption of an AI-focused national plan... 

Reunert reports year-end financial improvement

JSE-listed Reunert has reported growth in its earnings for the year ended September 30, despite a challenging macroeconomic environment in South Africa. The group’s headline earnings a share... 

Sub-Saharan Africa’s mobile industry GDP forecast to top $170bn by 2030

The GDP of sub-Saharan Africa’s mobile industry is projected to reach $170-billion by 2030, provided key connectivity barriers are addressed, with opportunities in artificial intelligence (AI), 5G...