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College introduces digital artisan training

By: Khutso Maphatsoe 2nd April 2021 In addition to the initial training of artisans, during which they are taught how to work with hand-held and power tools, artisan and mining skills training college Colliery Training College (CTC) has introduced Artisan 4.0 training. Although the need to carry and use physical tools will remain,... →

Stellenbosch researchers make major advance in imaging biochemical processes in cells

By: Rebecca Campbell 1st April 2021 Scientists and engineers at Stellenbosch University have developed a ‘visualisation tool’ that can, in three dimensions (3D) in space, as well as in time, automatically localise and quantify specific processes inside biological cells, such as those that make up the human body. The main focus for... →

Photo by Rensu Theart
A processed MEL image of mitochondria, with the different events identified by different colours

PwC report identifies payment as a core digital economy value proposition

By: Schalk Burger 31st March 2021 Digital payments, and the ecosystem partnerships required to enable them, are a cornerstone of the new digital economy and customers and businesses are increasingly relying on digital options to buy and sell goods and services, says advisory multinational PwC Strategy& Payments Transformation... →

New NRF CEO appointed

By: Rebecca Campbell 26th March 2021 The Board of the National Research Foundation (NRF) has announced the appointment of a new CEO for the organisation. He is Professor Fulufhelo Nelwamondo and he will take up the post of April 1. The NRF is an independent statutory body mandated to promote and support research by providing... →

Covid-19 hits Rolls-Royce Civil Aerospace hard, but diversification helps the group

By: Rebecca Campbell 26th March 2021 UK-based global major industrial technology group Rolls-Royce has reported its full-year results for last year. The group was hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic, suffering a loss (including tax) of nearly £3.17-billion. In 2019, it had experienced a loss (including tax) of just over £1.31-billion.... →

South Africa to gain another radio telescope array

By: Rebecca Campbell 25th March 2021 South Africa’s Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) and National Research Foundation (NRF) have authorised R35-million to fund a new radio telescope to be located in the country. Designated the Hydrogen Intensity and Real-time Analysis eXperiment (HIRAX), it will be built at the South... →

Photo by National Research Foundation
An artist’s impression of the HIRAX array

Science, innovation dept invests R18.9m in nanosatellites

By: Yvonne Silaule 25th March 2021 The Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) has invested R18.9-million in the development of two nanosatellites that will be used to improve maritime domain awareness in South Africa. The investment is the first initiative in the country to provide satellite communication services to the... →

Competition Tribunal grants GovChat interim relief against WhatsApp, Facebook

By: Creamer Media Reporter 25th March 2021 The Competition Tribunal has interdicted and restrained Facebook, WhatsApp and Facebook South Africa from removing GovChat’s WhatsApp-based citizen engagement platform from the WhatsApp platform for a period of six months. This follows GovChat and its subsidiary #Let’sTalk’s application for... →

Airbus satellites arrive at their launch site

By: Rebecca Campbell 24th March 2021 Europe-based global major aerospace group Airbus announced on Wednesday that its first two Pléiades Neo Earth observation satellites had arrived in the French territory of Guiana in South America. There they will be integrated with Vega launch rockets before being launched from the European Space... →

Photo by Airbus
One of the Pléiades Neo satellites, at an Airbus facility, before transport to Kourou

Pandemic drives 65% growth in mobile money transactions value

By: Natasha Odendaal 24th March 2021 The number of registered mobile money accounts increased 12.7% to 1.21-billion in 2020 – double the previous forecast – owing to a dramatic acceleration in mobile transactions during the Covid-19 pandemic as lockdown restrictions limited access to cash and financial institutions. The latest GSMA... →

Scientists develop non-toxic and cheaper compound for infrared semiconductors

By: Rebecca Campbell 24th March 2021 A research team composed of scientists in Japan and the UK has discovered a chemical compound that could be used to produce non-toxic infrared (IR) semiconductors. It would also be cheaper than the compounds currently used to produce such semiconductors. The compound is composed of calcium,... →

MetroFibre secures R2.5bn debt funding package

By: Natasha Odendaal 23rd March 2021 Gauteng-based fibre infrastructure provider MetroFibre Networx has secured a R2.5-billion debt funding package from Investec to support its fibre deployment across South Africa. The funding agreement builds on an existing relationship between the two companies since 2016, when MetroFibre... →

Core stage of Nasa’s biggest ever rocket has passed final major test

By: Rebecca Campbell 23rd March 2021 The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) successfully conducted a second ‘hot fire’ test of the core stage of its new Space Launch System (SLS) rocket late last week. The SLS core stage, the prime contractor for which is Boeing, is powered by four Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-25... →

Photo by Nasa
The SLS core stage second hot fire test being conducted at the B-2 test stand

Coca-Cola, BanQu launch payment platform for informal waste reclaimers, boosting bankability

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 19th March 2021 In recognition of Global Recycling Day on March 18, beverage company Coca-Cola South Africa and blockchain-based supply chain and economic passport platform BanQu are rolling out a payment platform to financially empower informal waste reclaimers and buyback centres in a boost to the local... →

Research shows promise in decarbonisation drive

By: Halima Frost 19th March 2021 The research of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) into accelerated decarbonisation scenarios for the South African power system confirms considerable opportunity to accelerate decarbonisation at low or zero net cost, says CSIR electrochemical energy technologies research... →

SAVING FOR THE FUTURE Battery storage can become a substantial contributor to maximizing the efficacy of renewable energy

Road map development for drone adoption under way

By: Darren Parker 19th March 2021 A roadmap package is being developed by mining technology platform Dwyka Mining Services to assist mining companies in developing a sustainable strategy for integrating drone technology into their operations over the medium to long term. →

UNDERGROUND INSPECTION Mining companies have approached Dwyka Mining Services for drone adoption and internalisation, including the capturing and processing of data

South Africa’s first supercritical carbon dioxide encapsulation facility to be established at the CSIR

By: Creamer Media Reporter 18th March 2021 The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has been awarded R25.9-million by the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) to establish South Africa’s first pilot-scale supercritical carbon dioxide (CO2) encapsulation facility (SCEF), which is set to be operational in 2022. The... →

Airbus reports major assembly step for Jupiter spaceprobe

By: Rebecca Campbell 17th March 2021 Airbus Defence and Space has reported that it has achieved the latest milestone in its assembly of the European Space Agency’s (ESA’s) Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) spacecraft. The space probe was fitted, at the company’s satellite integration centre at Friedrichshafen in Germany, with its... →

Photo by Airbus
The Magboom, visible at the top of the picture, suspended from a crane, is lowered towards the main body of JUICE

Icasa appeals spectrum court judgment

By: Natasha Odendaal 17th March 2021 The Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) is appealing the decision of the Pretoria High Court to halt the spectrum licensing, which was due to start on March 31; however, the authority remains open to discussions. In a statement, Icasa said it had consider considered the... →

Analogue switch-off starts

By: Natasha Odendaal 16th March 2021 The phased switch-off of South Africa’s analogue television transmitters has started and will continue province-by-province until the end of March 2022, when the last transmitters will be shut off in Gauteng. The Department of Communications and Digital Technologies, together with broadcasters,... →

German physicist determines that Starships are indeed possible – at least in theory

By: Rebecca Campbell 15th March 2021 New calculations by a physicist at Germany’s Georg-August University in Göttingen (more generally known as the University of Göttingen) has indicated that superluminal (faster-then-light) space travel may indeed one day be possible. Theoretical considerations of superluminal travel are based on... →

Liquid Telecom overhauls strategy, rebrands

By: Natasha Odendaal 15th March 2021 Pan-African telecoms group Liquid Telecom has rebranded, recalibrated and repositioned as pan-African technology group Liquid Intelligent Technologies (LIT), with ambitions of expanding its services offerings across the African continent. With several sub-brands, namely Liquid Cloud; Cyber... →

Wits finds first-gen vaccine effective against original and variant Covid-19 strains

By: Marleny Arnoldi 12th March 2021 Results of the Novavax Covid-19 vaccine trial in the UK and South Africa have confirmed high levels of efficacy against the original and variant Covid-19, says the University of Witwatersrand (Wits). Wits Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Analytics research unit executive director Professor... →

Regulator's approach to spectrum auction was unlawful, court says

By: Reuters 12th March 2021 A South African judge said he had halted the radio frequency spectrum auction planned this month by regulator Icasa because he deemed the process unlawful and irrational. High Court Judge Selby Baqwa passed an order on Monday prohibiting the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa... →

Sansa reports formal start of construction of new Space Weather Centre

By: Rebecca Campbell 12th March 2021 The South African National Space Agency (Sansa) reported on Friday that ground had officially been broken for its new R70.89-million Regional Space Weather Centre in Hermanus, Western Cape province, on Tuesday. The new centre falls under the Sansa Space Science programme, which is also based in... →

Photo by ESA
The Sun, showing significant surface activity

MTN Nigeria acquires additional 800 MHz spectrum

By: Natasha Odendaal 12th March 2021 Telecommunications group MTN Nigeria has acquired an additional 10 MHz spectrum in the 800 MHz band from Intercellular Nigeria for an undisclosed amount. This followed the approval by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) of the transaction and assigned the frequency to MTN Nigeria. →

Five predictions driving transformation in industry

12th March 2021 The unforeseen disruption experienced in 2020 has prompted food and beverage producers to futureproof their businesses as far as is possible, says business cloud software solutions provider Infor Europe, Middle East and Africa solution consulting VP Phil Lewis. →

PHIL LEWIS New technologies such as the Internet of Things will become crucial in facilitating the granularity required to minimise waste while maximising output

US space agency reports that booster rockets for first Artemis mission have been stacked

By: Rebecca Campbell 10th March 2021 The US National Aeronautics and Space Agency (Nasa) announced on Tuesday that the stacking of the two solid rocket boosters for the Artemis I mission had been completed. Each booster was composed of ten booster segments and a nose assembly, and both had been erected by large cranes on the mobile... →

Photo by Nasa
The two Artemis I boosters, standing on the mobile launcher, inside the Vehicle Assembly Building

SA rocket launches almost 18 km into the air – setting a new African record

By: News24Wire 10th March 2021 A hybrid sounding rocket developed by the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) has set a new altitude record by reaching 17.9 km into the earth’s atmosphere at twice the speed of sound. The launch, conducted on Monday 8 March, proved to be third time lucky for the team of students after earlier... →

MTN reports strong 2020 results, unveils Ambition 2025 strategy

By: Natasha Odendaal 10th March 2021 Telecommunications group MTN has announced a new repositioned strategy to accelerate growth and unlock the value of its infrastructure assets and platforms. Ambition 2025 is the result of a comprehensive strategy review during the fourth quarter of 2020. →

Telkom welcomes halt of spectrum process

By: Natasha Odendaal 9th March 2021 Telecommunications group Telkom has welcomed the Gauteng High Court’s decision to halt the Independent Communication Authority of South Africa’s (Icasa’s) planned spectrum auction process pending a review. Telkom said the decision affirmed its view that there are concerns around the lawfulness of... →

South Africa's court halts spectrum auction

By: Reuters 8th March 2021 South Africa's high court on Monday ordered telecoms regulator Icasa to halt the auction of radio frequency spectrum licences pending another related court matter, further delaying the process which was expected to begin this month. As part of the order, the Independent Communications Authority... →

MTN Group appoints new executive to drive its strategic repositioning

By: Natasha Odendaal 8th March 2021 Telecommunications group MTN has appointed Chika Ekeji as executive for strategy and transformation, effective March 15. This forms part of MTN’s plans to further bolster management capacity to accelerate its strategic ambitions, which focuses on accelerating growth, deleveraging the holding... →

Nasa awards key propulsion contract for the future Mars mission

By: Rebecca Campbell 5th March 2021 The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) on Thursday awarded Northrop Grumman Systems, a unit of major US aerospace group Northrop Grumman, the contract to develop and support the Mars Ascent Propulsion System (MAPS), which is an essential element for the planned Mars Sample... →

CSIR launches new centre to support 21st century industries in South Africa

By: Rebecca Campbell 5th March 2021 The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) officially launched its new Photonics Prototyping Facility (PPF) on Friday. The new facility is funded by the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) and is the fifth DSI-funded facility at the CSIR. Photonics is usually associated... →

Concor, partner awarded MeerKAT/SKA radio telescope construction contract

By: Rebecca Campbell 5th March 2021 South African contractor Concor, in partnership with OptiPower, has been awarded a R212-million contract for the structural foundations and associated infrastructure for 24 additional dishes for South Africa’s MeerKAT radio telescope array. MeerKAT currently has 64 dishes. The partners have also... →

Privacy concerns alienate half of global citizens’ adoption of government digital services

By: Natasha Odendaal 4th March 2021 Concerns around privacy and security risks are risking the participation of more than half the global population in governments’ various digital services drive. A new survey by EY found that 53% of the respondents believe that privacy and security risks around how their data is shared outweigh... →

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