South African MP and activist Zwelivelile "Mandla" Mandela calls for support for the call to impose a ban on the apartheid regime in Israel

The embargo must continue until a complete ceasefire is reached and the occupation and genocide of the #Palestinian people end.

We call on all freedom lovers in the world to direct and dedicate their charitable efforts to provide humanitarian aid to #Gaza

We will go to multiple campaigns and protests in #European cities to prevent #Israeli apartheid from the #Paris #Olympics

#SouthAfrica #Israel #Sanction #Boycott #Apartheid #Politics #Europe

Sylvia Moore

The Music Of Africa,1971

#SylviaMoore #worldmusic #africa #southAfrica #music

The Wanderer’s Song

Mouth organ accompaniment by Bernard Broere.

The Music Of Africa : Various : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

Tracklist: 1. Nigeria 2. Uganda 3. Tanzania 4. Tunesia 5. Nigeria 6. Kenya 7. South Africa 8. South Africa 9. Ethiopia 10. Malawi 11. South...

OMG!! R300 million stolen in massive cyber-heist in South African gov dept over 10 year period

Cybercriminals have stolen at least R300 million from South African taxpayers over the past ten years thanks to security flaws at the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure.

I am just dumbstruck over this, and can only quote the Minister’s own words here: “The minister said it was unthinkable that this had gone on for so long without being noticed”.

When is South Africa going to take cybersecurity seriously with government? Despite the Cybersecurity Hub , a National Cybersecurity Policy Framework (NCPF), etc, we see posts and a website, but very little in the way of actual preventative actions. The country has been embarrassed by more than one department denying they’ve been hacked at all, only to find out a week later after the data is leaked, that the department had no clue what they were talking about.

I’ve actually tried contacting the Cybersecurity Hub using their PGP encrypted e-mail to get suggestions on bolstering a government website I assisted in maintaining, but never got any response from them at all. I think at one stage their mailbox was also full.

Cybersecurity is not just about financial loss, or exposing citizen’s private data, but also about protecting the very sovereignty of the country. Intrusions today can also expose backend systems and even state or military secrets.

I’m really not sure these types of expertise actually exist within the departments themselves, as they are firstly highly specialised, but are also evolving daily.

See mybroadband.co.za/news/securit…
#Blog, #cybersecurity, #security, #southafrica, #technology

Never too early or too late to get your Zulu on. Click the link, you wont regret it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hwiwr19qcRc
Last night I was lured out of my house to go see these guys play.
#music #SouthAfrica

New payment ring launched by VezoPay requiring no charging or unlocking – built by South Africans

A standout features of VezoPay’s technology is its passive nature: unlike other payment methods that require regular charging, screen interaction or additional authentication steps, VezoPay’s wearable devices, including the payment ring, are designed to be low maintenance.

The ring is shockproof, dustproof and waterproof – and never needs to be charged. Users can make payments simply by placing their hand near a payment terminal.

“The tokenisation process we use ensures that no actual card data is stored on the device,” said Pinkus. “This means that even if the ring is lost or stolen, your financial information is safe.”

This is not a fitness device though and is purely aimed at making payments as easy as possible, not requiring any wallet or phone to be carried. I’d imagine this idea could also be adapted to even unlocking access to doors or computers via NFC. It works very much like a tap-to-pay card does, as far as I can see, so no 2FA to secure it.

See techcentral.co.za/vezopay-paym…
#Blog, #payments, #southafrica, #technology

Google Translate has added South African languages Ndebele, Swati, Tswana, and Venda

Google Translate can come in handy when you’re travelling or communicating with someone who speaks another language, and thanks to a new update, you can now connect with some 614 million more people. Google is adding 110 new languages to its Translate tool using its AI PaLM 2 large language model (LLM), which brings the total of supported languages to nearly 250. This follows the 24 languages added in 2022, including Indigenous languages of the Americas as well as those spoken across Africa and central Asia.

The Google Translate app is available in the Apple App Store and the Google Play store. It can translate text you paste in, as well as text appearing in photos. It can also translate voice input as well as handwritten characters.

Not only does this help travellers visiting areas where these languages are spoken, but more important, is it can assist these speakers (some of whom do not understand English) to now be able to translate English webpages or other English text into their languages.

See lifehacker.com/tech/google-tra…
#Blog, #southafrica, #technology, #translation

The StepWell Saga: first South African cellphone game for mental health aimed at youngsters

Mental health among South African youngsters is a serious concern. As part of a wider project to improve mental health policy and services in South Africa generally, the Foundation for Professional Development (FPD) has launched an innovative attempt to reach youth where they are at – playing games on their phones.

FPD secured a pioneering grant from Grand Challenges Canada (funded by the government of Canada) to develop Africa’s first serious game dedicated to mental health, entitled The StepWell Saga – Stronger Together.

As per edutainment theory, the game is not explicit about its mental health messages. These come through in the character dialogue and gameplay activities that teach skills like problem-solving, strategy and teamwork, and develop mental resilience — while also being fun to do. It challenges the player to think critically and promotes the importance of relationships in facing life’s challenges.

I really like the idea behind this game, and it looks like the reviews are pretty good. It is just sad that I see it is geo-restricted for South African accounts only (I personally really detest geofencing). It is however available for both Android and iOS, as well as in the Huawei store.

See techcentral.co.za/the-stepwell…
#Blog, #gaming, #mentalhealth, #southafrica, #technology

South African Military Vehicles in War Thunder

War Thunder is a highly realistic battle game where players can choose from a number of armoured vehicles, tanks, ships, helicopters and planes represented for different countries. The player chooses a country and vehicle type, and works their way up from tier 1, progressing to higher tier vehicles as they gain battle experience. The vehicles are incredibly detailed and have characteristics that are closely resemble their real-world counterparts. An exception is often the premium vehicles that can be bought as they can have some enhanced features e.g. slightly faster turret rotation speed than the real-world vehicle. But each online battle tries to match players and similar vehicle tiers to ensure good game play.

I mentioned briefly in the video about World of Tanks which is another very popular tank battle game. Whilst World of Tanks focuses more on a faster-paced arcade type game with numerous points needed before knocking out an enemy vehicle, War Thunder can eliminate an enemy tank with just a single shot if it is very well placed. War Thunder has larger maps, more vehicle types, and plays at a slightly slower pace.

What to me is very interesting is it is the only online game I’m aware of that has a variety of South African military vehicles in it including the Eland, Ratel, Rooikat, Olifant tank, and even the Rooivalk attack helicoptor. The Ratel, for example, is considered to be the very first true wheeled ICV (Infantry Combat Vehicle) top enter military service anywhere in the world, and for its time was one of the best ICVs anywhere. It is regarded by most military analysts as the grandfather of all subsequent ICV designs. The Ratel became the backbone of the then SADF (now SANDF) mechanised battalions and served with distinction during 12 of the 26 years of the South African Border War.

Note though what War Thunder shows as the G6/Eland, is actually the G6 Rhino Self-Propelled Howitzer-Vehicle with 155mm artillery gun. The real Eland is a 4-wheel drive armoured car with a 60mm or 90mm quick-firing gun.

See youtu.be/SqWPcCSt7BE
#Blog, #gaming, #southafrica, #technology, #warthunder

World Court orders Israel to halt assault on Gaza's #Rafah

Judges at the top United Nations court ordered Israel on Friday to immediately halt its military assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah, in a landmark emergency ruling in South Africa's case accusing Israel of genocide.
While the International Court of Justice, or World Court, has no means to enforce its orders, the case was a stark sign of Israel's global isolation over its campaign in Gaza, particularly since it began its offensive against Rafah this month against the pleas of its closest ally the United States.
Judge Nawaf Salam, president of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) presides over the International Court of Justice ( #ICJ), during a ruling on South Africa's request to order a halt to Israel's Rafah offensive in Gaza as part of a larger case brought before the #Hague-based court by #SouthAfrica.
#Genocide #Gaza #SaveGaza #StopIsrael #SaveTheChildren
#palestine #Israel #Politics #PeaceNow #StopTheWar #CeasefireNow
https://www.reuters.com/world/world-court-rule-request-halt-israels-rafah-offensive-2024-05-24/

Msaki x Tubatsi ~ Zibonakalise

https://youtu.be/CzYQwzlPfNY
or
https://invidious.fdn.fr/watch?v=CzYQwzlPfNY

Full album : https://msakixtubatsi.bandcamp.com/album/synthetic-hearts

#synthetichearts #MsakixTubatsi #Zibonakalise #music #musique #musik #musica #folk #Johannesburg #SouthAfrica

Victim proves how to easily steal someone’s FNB bank payment card details and buy a tank of petrol in South Africa

This is actually not a very difficult hack, but what is really critical is to NEVER click on links that arrive by e-mail or SMS. Rather, note any reference/tracking number and go independently to the website via your browser and check it out if you think it may be genuine.

The SA Post Office parcel attack is an old one, and as far I know the post office does not do payments online as the payment is made at the desk when receiving the parcel.

The phishing attack may appear to be something genuine, especially if you are waiting for a parcel, but that is exactly how people are being caught out (even those who are pretty tech-savvy—it catches people in those few seconds before their guard is up).

I got a phishing attack attempt just today from a courier company and when I checked the tracking number on their website, it says the shipment has not yet been created. On their website is also a warning notice about phishing attempt scams.

If you do use virtual bank cards, you should set the daily and monthly limits to just what is needed, and often you can deactivate/activate them just when needed.

See mybroadband.co.za/news/securit…
#Blog, #phishing, #southafrica, #technology

#Palestine #SouthAfrica

https://twitter.com/MustafaBarghou1/status/1790999099073769916

Garmin SOS fails South African biker after accident

A South African biker’s post-accident medical treatment was delayed after the SOS feature on his Garmin satellite communicator failed to evoke a timely response from emergency services.

Rapport reports that Johan Swarts only received a call from responders while in hospital on the day after he suffered a serious crash, despite paying a R574.99 (US$31) monthly subscription for the service.

He told Rapport that a Garmin product manager only responded two months after his complaints and said the SOS was only received on 18 February, a day after the accident.

So, yes testing is important as well as informing someone where you are going and when you expect to be back, but this is extremely concerning as such devices (along the expense they incur) are intended for use in the most dire emergencies. South Africa, as well as the rest of Africa, has some very isolated areas.

As of 2024 there are yet no reliable satellite services in Africa for ordinary cellphones, so the only option is a full-blown satellite phone (of course with its associated cost that many cannot afford).

Seems it did actually work if the message came through a day later. But where did it come through to a day later, and why? It’s like a key piece of the puzzle is just missing here. Certainly, a radio transmission is almost instantaneous, it does not transmit “slowly” over 24 hours. Seems to me, there was some human or system failure between the UK and SA? Due to the nature of this service, it warrants a really thorough investigation.

See mybroadband.co.za/news/gadgets…
#Blog, #Garmin, #motorcycling, #southafrica, #technology

South African mobile network operators must zero-rate content from approved public benefit organisations

PBOs include non-profit organisations, trusts, and government departments with .gov.za domain names.

These PBOs will be required to apply to Icasa to assess whether they meet the requirements for having their content zero-rated. Once approved, the PBO’s content must be zero-rated within 14 business days.

The successful bidders will have 36 months to fulfil the zero-rating obligation, starting 15 January 2024.

Well, this is good news for citizens needing to access essential services. Quite interesting too that the PBOs will need to host their site inside of the country to be zero-rated (problem being it can often be cheaper to host your site outside the country).

This will primarily benefit (although everyone should get this zero rating) less affluent customers, meaning these users won’t find their data usage being consumed by using these services.

The mobile providers need to monitor and manage these zero ratings. What I’m really confused about is, what will our mobile data counters on our phones know about this usage? If a user sets a limit of say 2 GB data for the month so that the phone warns when the usage is going high, that won’t be excluding zero-rated sites and data. End users will also have no way at all to know whether their access in real-time is zero-rated or being counted (there is a 300 MB limit per day per user for zero-rated data).

So, all great, but the management of this by all parties is going to be quite hazy.

See mybroadband.co.za/news/telecom…
#Blog, #southafrica, #technology

Iranian commander warns Tehran could review its 'nuclear doctrine' amid Israeli threats

"A review of our nuclear doctrine and politics as well as considerations previously communicated is entirely possible," Ahmad Haghtalab, the commander in charge of nuclear security, said according to semi-official Tasnim news agency

This is the freaking nightmare scenario that Netanyahu haa been working 24/7 to achieve.

The moment IRI decides to leave NPT and blocks the IAEA, the whole world go into an even crazier frenzy about it with Israel being the loudest, bit no one will ever mention that israel NEVER signed the #NPT. They refuse to allow IAEA inspectors in or declare how many nuclear weapons they have.

Bot to forget that Israel was caught by #IAEA helping the former south African government under apartheid regime which they volunteerly abandoned and destroyed, but no one did anything to punish the Israeli government.

#History #Iran #Israel #NuclearWeapons #SouthAfrica
#Politics
https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/iranian-commander-warns-tehran-could-review-its-nuclear-doctrine-amid-israeli-2024-04-18/

#Iran #IAEA #Israel #NPT

South African app receives 46,693 potholes reports — 7,842 have been closed

The app is not so much about potholes themselves, but more about how transparency is needed to measure success or failure to provide services to citizens. Too often, reports just disappear into a back-end system and no-one sees the full picture, nor how the resolution rate is progressing.

Seeing municipal services are actually public funded services for citizens, I really wonder why not all electrical, roads, water, etc requests are not publicly visible for citizens to judge how their service delivery is going. If this could have been done for the Municipal Money website in South Africa, why not for other municipal services too? Right now, anyone can compare one municipality with another for their financial key performance indicators.

Maybe what is needed is more transparency for citizens to see what is going on, or not, with their municipal service delivery. Then we’ll at least be dealing with objective judgements around service delivery, and be able to measure real improvement.

See mybroadband.co.za/news/motorin…
#Blog, #accountability, #government, #southafrica, #technology

Why after nearly 20 years I moved away from Vodacom – Loyalty often does not Pay

I’ve been with Vodacom since just after number porting went live in South Africa, and I’ve been on a contract with them for most of that time until after I retired from work, and no longer had a work cellphone allowance. It was just cheaper to move to a pre-paid service.

When I moved to pre-paid, I just asked them to change my contract to pre-paid, and I went on from there, topping the account up every second month or so. Whenever I topped up I saw I was offered 30% extra airtime for whatever I bought – that’s nice, so if I spent R100 I’d actually get R130 or whatever it was. But over the last 3 months after moving medical aids I do now spend up to an hour or longer talking on the phone to my medical aid and I noticed the costs are nearly R100 a call.

Today I got another offer from Afrihost to switch to their new AirMobile offering (which is a Mobile Virtual Network Operator). So I checked out the call costs and noted they were 64c per minute. I phoned Vodacom to check what I was paying as I can never see in the VodaPay app what the call rates were, and I also cannot see any history of itemised calls (except for the data use on my data SIM). I was then told I’m paying R1.53 per minute for calls! So, I get an extra 30% of airtime when I top up, but I’m paying over 100% more in costs! What a rip-off. It was explained to me that there are actually three different pre-paid plans, and I was on the Power Bonus one, but there is a different one that is only 79c per minute, if I’d like them to switch me to that one. No-one told me there were three options when I was switched to pre-paid, and I always thought there was just “pre-paid”. Well…. I replied that actually don’t worry, I’m going to rather switch providers, but I asked her to escalate the issue that no-one gave me any options when I was changed to pre-paid and how come I ended up on the most expensive one – there is no loyalty from the company after you’ve been with them for 20 years.

I’m not going to (yet) say Afrihost’s AirMobile is the best out there, but for me, it is certainly way better than I was getting from Vodacom. The whole migration was completed online and live after about 3 hours, including the RICA process and the number porting. As I have a phone with eSIM capability, I just scanned the QR code that came in the e-mail, and my eSIM was set up.

Apart from the way cheaper costs, visibility of pricing, and way simpler online management (without all the adverts and bonus offer popups in the VodaPay app), the AirMobile offering also shows me detailed usage of both the data usage and itemised phone calls with the cost for each call (no itemised billing was included on pre-paid with Vodacom).

The fact that I received a free R100 of airtime and 10GB of data from AirMobile was not at all why I changed, as I look only at ongoing monthly usage costs. But it is a nice sweetener seeing I had R88 credit left at Vodacom which I lose.

The moral of the story though is, just like with short term insurance, life insurance and bank accounts, you have no investment value in those companies at all, no matter how long you’ve been with them. If you want a better deal, you need to look around and then just make a move. An exception may be if you get quite hefty loyalty bonuses, like I get from my short term insurance for no claims. But still, factor that in and decide if you want to move after your bonus is paid out, or weigh up what you will save overall over 3 or 5 years anyway.

So, let’s see how this goes with Afrihost. Afrihost has been my fibre ISP for the last few years, and I’ve been really happy with their service so far. My migration described above, though, was purely my own initiative, and all I received was the standard migration package and pricing that everyone else receives. I know it sounds a bit like an advert, but it is an important principle to look around for better offers you can get, no matter where you decide to go.
#Blog, #Afrihost, #AirMobile, #southafrica, #technology, #vodacom

Lindo Sobekwa

🇿🇦 Lindo Sobekwa - Nyaope series [Dazed]

Photography by Lindo Sobekwa.

#LindoSobekwa #nyaope #SouthAfrica #drug #addiction #bw #portrait #photo #art

The young photographer who documented South Africa’s drug epidemic

🇿🇦 Photo by Josep Castell

#JosepCastell #man #portrait
#soweto #SouthAfrica #photo #art

Uncapped Internet at R99pm on a meshed network for South African low-income communities

Maintaining cabled infrastructure in many informal areas is a nightmare (costly to deploy, dangerous, and sometimes damaged/stolen) so a meshed network does really solve this type of challenge, where each core node relays off the next one, to cover a wide area. In the example given in the linked article, a third of a township that’s home to an estimated 80 000 people is served.

Combining this with a commercial model where the core node hoster is earning 15% of the monthly cost from the surrounding leaf nodes, it is a real win-win.

It’s no coincidence, either, that this type of meshed network is proving popular, as we have seen active decentralisation along identical lines with social media, and also with the Meshtastic unlicensed radio that I featured a week or two back.

This type of approach is perfect where a high-cost service can be shared in a cost-effective way across a community who wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford such a service on their own.

See https://techcentral.co.za/internet-revolution-in-olievenhoutbosch/241698/
#Blog, #meshnetworks, #southafrica, #technology