South African fibre veterans launch United States expansion plan: Finding a niche not filled by US fiber providers

It’s interesting that in many areas, the US lags behind South Africa in terms of fibre roll-out, because their copper infrastructure is not being stolen like in SA.

The article goes on though to highlight two other key reasons why this venture could be successful:

1. The success hinging on successful construction project management, versus it just being a technology project.
2. The US having less consumer protection than SA as far as what is promised and what is bundled, i.e. what you see is what you get, and the quality of service. Seeing one of the Afrihost co-founders is involved, that has a lot of promise for the US venture, as Afrihost has recently again been voted top ISP or fibre provider in SA for their awesome service.

Of course, SA’s fibre network has also proven to be load-shedding proof as well.

And, of course, there is no Elon Musk involved in this venture, so this should help also mend some bad perceptions that many have about SA business owners.

See https://mybroadband.co.za/news/fibre/503344-south-african-fibre-heavyweights-in-major-push-to-expand-into-the-united-states.html
#Blog, #southafrica, #technology, #USA

SA wants to be involved in innovation, not just be consumers of it: It’s easy! Start with open source software like Brazil, China, and Russia

South Africa no longer wants to be just a consumer of hi-tech and innovative products. It wants to play an active role in technological research & development to produce such products locally.

This was said by communications and digital technologies minister Mondli Gungubele, who will host communication ministers from the Brics countries in Cape Town on Monday and Friday. The Brics members are Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

Well, this is really not difficult… You start with seeing where you can actively replace paid subscription based software with tailored free and open source software alternatives, like South Africa was already doing in the mid-2000’s. There is zero need to re-invent the wheel when we already have so much enterprise-ready open source software. In fact, this is exactly what Brazil, China, and Russia have done with their own operating systems (achieved after a previous promise at a Brics summit in Brazil back in the 2000’s). South Africa actually had the Impi Linux OS but abandoned it later in that same decade (other countries followed through while SA lost its perseverance).

There is no question at all that free and open source software actually works. We’ve seen it working in retailers, banks, cellular companies, and governments in Germany and France. You can even have cloud-based services using Nextcloud and similar software.

It all comes down to the WILL to make it actually work, and the PERSEVERANCE to see it through. You’re still going to often use consultants, and internal staff, but your money is going nearly 100% to local economic investment. There will likely still need to be government tenders, but these would be for much smaller amounts, and for ensuring a service level support service when necessary. To sustain open source projects into the future, you also want to make some contribution to the upstream projects, so there is some money that may flow out of the country, but you decide how much, and remember that it is sustaining your product that you want to use into the future.

But yes, not only do you get a free product that you can copy and tailor to your local purposes, but the local industry learns and innovates from that software as well. You’ll also find many start up businesses can kick-start themselves not having to worry about exorbitant software costs, nor lock-in to one vendor’s cloud services.

We’ve long seen that necessity is the mother of invention. When you need something to work, or a problem to be solved, you come up with solutions. Open source software helps enable this through it being able to be adapted. South Africa can rely on learners at school and university level to solve these challenges using cheap Raspberry Pi computers and free software such as Linux, Python, Nextcloud, and numerous other choices. And of course, they learn from this, and can use it in their own future business endeavours.

So let’s see if this is all just political talk, or will we actually see some active projects with real outcomes…

See https://www.sowetanlive.co.za/news/south-africa/2023-07-30-sa-wants-to-be-involved-in-innovation-not-just-be-consumers-of-it-gungubele/
#Blog, #opensource, #southafrica, #technology

South Africa’s first laptop library launched – a refundable deposit gives you temporary loan of a laptop

The laptop library works in the same way as a regular library: instead of borrowing a book, customers can borrow a laptop for a week by visiting TechMarkit’s Rosebank Mall store. A R500 refundable deposit is required with completion of the lending form, and that’s it. If the laptop is returned to the store on the stipulated date, the R500 deposit is refunded.

“It’s certainly not a money-making operation. In fact if anything, we will probably lose money,” said TechMarkit CEO David Hirsch. “I’m sure out of every 20 or so we lend out, one won’t come back.

It will be interesting to see how this goes. They are using refurbished laptops so I’d imagine these are laptops that have got old and are no longer in regular use, but could still be used for this sort of use. It may be a good project too, to accept donations of old working laptops. As it’s not actually making any profit, it would not be sustainable as a standalone service, but it is saving usable laptops from becoming e-waste, and could fulfil a useful purpose for many.

Maybe other tech providers could also start up similar initiatives elsewhere in the country as a community service. After all, libraries themselves are community services.

See https://techcentral.co.za/south-africas-first-laptop-library/229008/
#Blog, #southafrica, #technology

Best panic button apps in South Africa – Not just for home use, but when driving or walking too

South Africans concerned about their personal security have several smartphone apps they can install to get help from emergency services at the tap of a button.

Many free panic button apps rely on alerting your friends or family, most of whom don’t necessarily “respond” or very quickly. Most of the services listed in the linked article are around R30 pm to R35 pm, which is really affordable. Even though you may have armed response for your home, this type of service compliments that by providing response for when you are out driving or walking anywhere too.

See https://mybroadband.co.za/news/security/500945-best-panic-button-apps-in-south-africa.html
#Blog, #panicbuttons, #southafrica, #technology

https://youtube.com/watch?v=WrDYQhubHIU

Today we're talking about a strange story out of Johannesburg, #SouthAfrica, and as usual, offer our high octane speculation about it:

Articles:

Chaos in Joburg CBD after gas explosion in Bree Street

In videos: #Earthquake in #Johannesburg, gas explosion or other?

Johannesburg earthquake is strongest in six years

Biggest South African language Wikipedias and their editors, and quite a few Non-English contributions too

There is a large contingent of unpaid volunteers writing Wikipedia entries in South African languages.

Wikipedia is the only non-commercial and mostly volunteer-driven platform in the world’s top 10 most visited websites.

To help contribute to Wikipedia, users can simply click the “edit” button at the top of each article.

For contributions to persist through the scrutiny of the editing community, however, editors must provide a link to a reliable third-party source — such as a news article from a reputable outlet.

Southern Africa has an official member organisation for Wikipedia editors, founded in 2012. Wikimedia ZA is the WMF-recognised Southern African chapter of Wikipedia volunteers.

It is really good to see volunteers from the non-English languages also contributing, as this is how languages get some online presence and usage. Volunteers don’t sit back and wait for someone else, or a big corporation, to do something for them. They make things happen themselves! I also have edited and contributed to my local Wikipedia pages, as well as to Pen Street Maps (OSM) for my area.

I get that Wikipedia’s editing standards have to be high (unfortunately, many do try to manipulate articles for political or other causes in a non-factual manner) but Wikipedia is an important repository of knowledge especially for cultural aspects as well. Keeping a couple of paper notes in a shoe box is not going to serve any purpose in 100 years time.

The linked article also includes a link for more detailed information on how to edit Wikipedia pages, including some videos. There is an accepted way of editing pages, so it is worth taking a little time to just get familiar with it.

See https://mybroadband.co.za/news/internet/500319-biggest-wikipedia-south-african-languages-and-editors.html
#Blog, #southafrica, #technology, #Wikipedia

#BRICS Summit Will Be Held in Person in South Africa

The BRICS need to coordinate forces and strategies in an increasingly polarized international scene, where traditional hegemonies are being restructured in a way that has not been seen since the #ColdWar.

Next August, Pretoria will hold the BRICS meeting. The 5 emerging powers that make up the group: #Brazil, #Russia, #India, #China, and #SouthAfrica, which holds its presidency, have decided that the summit will be held in person.

The BRICS need to coordinate forces and strategies in an increasingly polarized international scene, where traditional hegemonies are being restructured in a way that has not been seen since the Cold War. Within this projection of the bloc's unity, the less influential members in international politics, such as Brazil and South Africa, defend their membership of the group as an example of neutrality in the face of war in #Europe.

#Economy #Dedollarizatiom #Politics #Africa #Asia #SouthAmerica #Europ
https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/BRICS-Summit-Will-Be-Held-in-Person-in-South-Africa-20230710-0025.html

Wesgro creates the Cape Karoo region in Roblox, partnering with BP & Shell to win the hearts of young road-trippers in South Africa

The first thought I had was, this had to do with PR for fracking, but no, it is a genuine promotion of tourism in an innovative way that appeals to the youth. Kudos to Wesgro for such an innovative idea that seems very well executed. It certainly taps into a very current trend around gaming with locations. The Karoo has long been a favourite location for me to take bike rides to. I once rode out there and spend an hour or just reading a book, with a wonderful view in front of, and not a single solitary human or even car in sight.

The game Starlight Adventures In The Cape Karoo aims to drive tourism across the region, highlighting lesser-known but exciting family destinations where tourism is critical to the local economy.

Wesgro is the first tourism promotion agency in the world to use Roblox in its marketing campaigns, with today’s launch being the second game it has released on the platform.

The game includes a digital clone of Prince Albert, a small town with only 7000 people, that has been transformed into a playable experience.

In researching the game, Wesgro consulted with local tour guides and cultural experts – using 3D scans of landmarks and objects to create an accurate representation of the town.

With a map spanning four square kilometres, the game is one of the largest on Roblox.

Additionally, for the first time in a game, the history and culture of the Khoisan people, the world’s oldest tribe, is featured.

See https://mybroadband.co.za/news/gaming/499331-wesgro-creates-the-cape-karoo-region-in-roblox-partnering-with-bp-shell-to-win-the-hearts-of-young-road-trippers-in-south-africa.html
#Blog, #gaming, #Roblox, #southafrica, #technology, #Wesgro

Citizen Band (CB) radio has gone license free in South Africa: Great for local comms when power fails or just to chat to your community

This is now really a low barrier to entry as no rigorous exam required like with amateur radio licenses, and the operating procedures are also way simpler. You do however need to have a type approved radio i.e. a CB radio approved by ICASA, which is standard for all radio transmitters in the country. The type approval certifies the radio will only transmit on the approved frequencies, below the approved power levels, and without causing interference to licensed frequencies.

Government Gazette Vol. 695 23 May 2023 No. 48643 has promulgated this change.

Apart from communities being able to establish local nets to keep in contact and chat, having a CB radio can be useful when travelling (like truckers use) to make contact along the way, and if you have a 12V battery at home, you can also use it during a grid blackout to keep in communication with your community. With social networks fragmenting like they are, maybe it is time for analogue radio to make a comeback! The CB frequencies are really quiet right now, and not like back in the 1980’s when you could not get a gap to get on the air sometimes.
#Blog, #CBradio, #southafrica, #technology

South African government department fined R5 million in terms of the POPI Act for its tardiness with fixing IT breaches

The Department of Justice & Constitutional Development’s failure to buy antivirus software, as ordered by the information regulator, has earned it a R5m fine — the highest penalty yet imposed for noncompliance with the Protection of Personal Information Act (Popia).

The department suffered a cyberattack in 2021 that resulted in the loss of more than 1,200 files, with encryption of internal documents and personal information being compromised. It forced the court recording systems offline, which led to postponements at lower courts.

It emerged that the department had not renewed its antivirus software, including its intrusion detection licence, that would have flagged suspicious activity by unauthorised people accessing the network. In response, the information regulator issued an enforcement order in May obliging the department to show it had taken remedial action.

The department had two alternatives when it received the order in May: either purchase antivirus software and start disciplinary action, or appeal against the order.

The regulator imposed the fine on Monday after the department failed to do either. This was despite a warning by the regulator that noncompliance with the enforcement order could lead to an administrative fine of up to R10m, or the imprisonment of the responsible officials.

So we finally, after quite a few years, actually see what appears to be one of the first actual fines imposed in South Africa for contravention of the POPI Act. This is very important for two reasons. Firstly, that the Act is seen to be enforced (to prevent others being so tardy), and secondly, that government departments themselves take the precautions that they should be with citizens’ private data. Government departments especially gather a lot of very private citizen information, including everything related to a person’s identity.

Yes, it is ironical that this happened with the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development themselves, but this also illustrates the “tardiness” on the side of government, who probably expected that the Act would mainly be focussing on private companies.

Citizens are already becoming very cautious about parting with their private information, and I predicted last month that we are going to see lots of POPI Act issues around the fact that every small charitable donation, now requires those small charities to collect all sort of private information for tax deduction purposes. Such small non-profits are woefully under skilled and underfunded to protect that information.

See https://pressreader.com/article/281539410405644
#Blog, #POPIA, #privacy, #southafrica, #technology

#SouthAfrica #Russia #Cuba #NATO #UnitedStates #ICC

https://vxtwitter.com/ricwe123/status/1671043831901331457

Cape Town libraries have free access to Overdrive or Libby eBooks as well as over 7,000 local and international newspapers via PressReader

Apart from the above there is also online access to African storybooks in English, isiXhosa and Afrikaans, Fundza literacy learning, SA curriculum for homeschooling, ISET publication for careers in IT, and more.

It is really good to see libraries catering for online and remote access in modern times. I see too our local library will be celebrating their 100th year of service next, after starting out in May 1924 from the premises of a private home shortly after the suburb was established and the first houses were built.

Free online access such as this brings really easy access to all residents, who just need an Android or iOS device to access a rich variety of learning and news.

I remember many years ago when I first got the PressReader app, how I wished there was easier, more ready access to it. But back then libraries, by us anyway, were not really up to date and e-books were not on their horizon at all. I remember then still visiting a library in person and having to navigate the Dewey catalogue system of cards in order to actually find the book on the shelves, and hope it was not checked out already. Today, there is little need to travel to the library unless you want to use the free computer resources or get person-to-person assistance.

See https://opac.capetown.gov.za/
#Blog, #capetown, #learning, #libraries, #southafrica, #technology

Takealot SA versus Amazon USA tech price showdown: It’s around 50/50 so always best to check properly

Interesting results shown in the comparison in the linked article. In quite a few cases a single import, with duty and shipping to SA, is cheaper than Takealot in South Africa. I’m wondering how this will improve when Amazon opens its own warehouse in South Africa later in 2023, because then it won’t be individual shipping imports any more.

But the big takeaway is that you do need to check, and weigh it up also with whether you may ever need warranty support. There are also many items you just cannot find at all inside South Africa.

See https://mybroadband.co.za/news/gadgets/497469-takealot-versus-amazon-tech-price-showdown.html
#Blog, #amazon, #onlineshopping, #southafrica, #takealot, #technology

The South African Post Office is failing — these are the best alternatives

I’m going to bookmark these for myself so long as most of my incoming deliveries via SAPO have been dramatically delayed, and one even had the item inside stolen (and replaced with a metal weight).

It is better for your sanity often to pay more to a 3rd party to have your delivery taken care of. Although the post office has always been the cheapest, the risk is becoming too much, and many 3rd parties are at least getting a lot cheaper. For example, selling items online via BobShop, can have door-to-door courier delivery fees as cheap as R30 per delivery.

See https://mybroadband.co.za/news/business/496591-the-post-office-is-failing-these-are-the-best-alternatives.html
#Blog, #courier, #postoffice, #SAPO, #southafrica

Poland detains South African security plane in diplomatic spat

South Africa said on Friday a plane carrying the security personnel accompanying President Cyril Ramaphosa on a peace mission to Ukraine was held up in Poland, in an incident that sparked a diplomatic squabble.

A charter flight carrying security forces and journalists was blocked upon landing at Warsaw Chopin Airport on Thursday, with Polish authorities not allowing passengers to disembark, according to South African officials.

“We’re deeply disturbed by the experience they’ve gone through,” #Ramaphosa’s spokesman Vincent Magwenya said in a statement on Friday, describing the incident as “regrettable”.
#Poland #SouthAfrica #Europe #Politics #WTF

https://insiderpaper.com/poland-detains-south-african-security-plane-in-diplomatic-spat/

Poland detains South African security plane in diplomatic spat - Insider Paper

South Africa said on Friday a plane carrying the security personnel accompanying President Cyril Ramaphosa on a peace

#streetart #art #artwork #Capetown #SouthAfrica

R200,000 City Blitz becomes South Africa’s cheapest electric car at 20c/km and 150km range with max speed 80km/h

Aimed at small businesses, mines and urban delivery services, the tiny Chinese vehicle is imported by EV Africa, a subsidiary of motor retail and car hire giant Combined Motor Holdings (CMH).

The affordable, eco-friendly City Blitz is available in four models, all supported by four-year/60,000km warranties. The models are a 2-seater, 4-setaer, a pickup, and a commercial panel van. City Blitz models have a claimed range of up to 150km and the 10kWh lithium battery can be fully charged at a regular wall socket in four to six hours (my house runs for around 10 hours off a 10kWh lithium battery, but this is not intended for V2G).

An impressive standard spec sheet features everything you need such as electric windows, air-conditioning, a large LED infotainment screen, front and rear window defrost, daytime running lights, and more!

The range will be sold at motorcycle, boat and leisure shops and supported by parts outlets across the country. There are no airbags, but the City Blitz is built with a monocoque cage to provide safety in a rollover or collision.

So yes, no freeway driving, but it should be fine on M-highways which have a speed limit of 80km/h. Compared to a petrol car operating at about R1.20/km, this is way cheaper.

This is a serious contender as a 2nd vehicle for inner-city commuting.

See https://www.timeslive.co.za/motoring/new-models/2023-06-02-r200000-city-blitz-becomes-south-africas-cheapest-electric-car/

#technology #EV #SouthAfrica #environment
#Blog, #environment, #EV, #southafrica, #technology

BRICS meet with 'friends' seeking closer ties amid push to expand bloc

— "Senior officials from more than a dozen countries, including àSaudiArabia and #Iran, were in talks on forging closer links with the #BRICS bloc of major emerging economies on Friday as it met to deepen ties and position itself as a counterweight to the West.

BRICS, which now consists of #Brazil, àRussia, #India, #China and #SouthAfrica, is considering expanding its membership, and a growing number of countries have expressed interest in joining.

Once viewed as a loose association of disparate emerging economies, BRICS has in recent years taken more concrete shape, driven initially by China and, since the start of the #Ukraine war in February 2022, with added impetus from Russia."

Link
https://archive.is/MuPaX

New Eleksa Pony pricing – South Africa’s first electric bakkie from R386,980

The light commercial vehicle features a 5kW AC motor and a 7.2kWh lithium-ion battery, which work together to create a driving range of between 90 to 110 kilometres, similar to what the CityBug was capable of.

It also has a top speed of 70km/h, and charging is expected to take anywhere from three to seven hours using a 220V socket.

Perfect for inner city deliveries. Maintenance and operating costs should be lower than ICE vehicles.

See https://topauto.co.za/news/76936/new-eleksa-pony-pricing-south-africas-first-electric-bakkie/
#Blog, #environment, #EV, #southafrica, #technology

EVA affordable electric car launching in South Africa next month with 160km range max speed 80km/h

It’s an interesting segment this, as it fulfils inner-city needs, but is not going to be used on freeways, or for driving across the country (or V2G use). You get what you pay for, so a vehicle like this is not going to deliver Tesla type range or performance.

That said, the vast majority of commuters do only travel at a snail’s pace to work and back, and certainly under that 160km range.

I can certainly see initial takeup with local delivery companies. For many too, this would make a great 2nd car for the daily commute, and an affordable way to get into EVs and their benefits.

See https://topauto.co.za/news/76931/eva-launching-in-south-africa-next-month-affordable-electric-cars-and-scooters-incoming/
#Blog, #environment, #EV, #southafrica, #technology