Archive for July, 2010

South African converged telecoms operator Neotel has appointed Blue Label Telecoms as its e-voucher vendor partner.

Johannesburg-based Blue Label Telecoms is a market leader in the distribution of prepaid products and services to unbanked and under-banked consumers in emerging and developing economies across the globe.

"Neotel will soon be launching prepaid services to the market and we required a partner that had a wide operational footprint, and with Blue Label Telecoms we have gained that reach into their extensive distribution network, including large chain stores, independent retailers and petroleum forecourts," said Neotel CEO Ajay Pandey in a statement this week.

He explained that with over 130 000 points of presence in South Africa, Blue Label was a leading company in voucher services and had a proven, viable solution that met Neotel's needs.

"More so, as our customer base increases we want to ensure that they have easy access to our products and services on a national basis and with this new partnership we are convinced that there will be a strong uptake from the customers using our services," said Pandey.

Blue Label joint CEO Brett Levy pointed out that more than 80% of the South African population purchased airtime on a prepaid basis.

"Blue Label Telecoms has over ten years experience in this growing space and has built long-term partnerships with our distribution network to ensure that prepaid products and services are conveniently available for our client's customers," he said.

"We are excited to be working with Neotel to extend their reach into the market."

To date, Neotel has entered into strategic partnerships in place with Altech Autopage Cellular, Postnet South Africa, Samsung and Nashua, while also opening retail stores in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban and Cape Town.

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Chris Thurman

South Africa boasts hundreds of luxury game lodges charging dollar rates for tourists to "experience the African bushveld". There's a lot to be said for the five-star safari option – but does being waited on hand and foot really constitute an authentic bushveld experience? And what if you can't afford to pay all those dollars?

Some of South Africa's national parks have basic accommodation, and there is always the alternative of staying in a nearby town or resort and driving into the park each day – but that's also not the ideal way to experience the bushveld.

Fortunately, there is another option, combining reasonable down-to-earth comfort with a really close-up bush experience, as my family and I recently discovered on a trip to the Madikwe Game Reserve. Lying near the border between South Africa and Botswana, it goes by the name of Mosetlha Bush Camp.

Roughing it in style

Mosetlha was started in the early 1990s as a rustic camp with basic facilities, a place where rangers-in-training and other wilderness enthusiasts came to learn about wildlife conservation during Operation Phoenix, a project to reintroduce game into the Madikwe area.

As more and more lodges were built in the reserve and the number of tourists increased, Chris and June Lucas, with their daughter Caroline, opened Mosetlha to the wider public. But they kept the camp's ecological ethos and relaxed, down-to-earth atmosphere.

At Mosetlha, you do things for yourself. There's an old-school donkey boiler, with water heated in a drum over a fire for bucket showers, and you also take your own water to flush the VIP – ventilated improved pit – toilets.

That may sound a little rough and ready, but this really is a comfortable form of camping. In fact, it isn't actually camping at all. Guests stay in raised wooden cabins, with canvas awnings over the front and back to allow maximum appreciation of the sights and sounds of the bush – including, at night, the not-too-distant howls of hyena. There is no electricity, but oil lamps give a warm and cosy glow.

Mosetlha may be a place where you can get the dust of Africa on your feet, but you don't do everything for yourself. Sumptuous but simple meals are served up from the camp kitchen and eaten communally. In between there are lazy late mornings and early afternoons when you can snooze or read a book. After dark, a roaring fire encourages the cheerful swapping of anecdotes over a glass of wine or a beer from the honesty bar. You settle very easily into the indulgent rhythms of camp life.

The focal points of each day are, of course, the morning and evening game drives. Operation Phoenix was tremendously successful, and today Madikwe boasts an abundance of wildlife. With a large mammal population of over 16 000, the reserve provides some of the best game-viewing in the country.

Our visit yielded, among other sightings, a close-range encounter with lions at a zebra kill, a pack of wild dogs (very rare), both white and black rhino as well as a leopard up a tree. On one occasion, a pride of lions – moms, dads and cubs – sauntered up to our Land Rover and strolled casually past on either side, leaving our party a little perturbed.

You're guaranteed to see some great game at Madikwe, but there is a lot more to enjoy besides. For the twitchers, there are over 340 bird species to spot. Amateur geologists can take in the striking topography of the area, with numerous koppies and even low mountain peaks rising from the savannah plain.

And there's nothing quite so gratifying as that moment when, just as the off-road bumps are starting to take their toll, your guide stops the vehicle and you climb out to discover a table, magically produced and laden with goodies: coffee and rusks for those brisk mornings, or drinks and snacks in the evenings while the orange disc of the sun slips below the horizon.

I told you this was roughing it in style ...

Rich in history

Good game rangers are walking encyclopaedia when it comes to flora and fauna – and they love to share useful bits of trivia – such as the fact that the collective noun for giraffes is a "journey". Mosetlha's knowledgeable guides can also tell you almost anything you might want to know about the region, including its unusual history.

Places such as Groot Marico and Mafikeng Road have been immortalised in the stories of Herman Charles Bosman, and the area regularly attracts literary pilgrims for whom the place has a special resonance. But long before Bosman invented his famous serio-comical narrator, Oom Schalk Lourens, the terrain had been criss-crossed by Mzilikazi and the Matabele people, Boer and British soldiers, traders, explorers, hunters and missionaries.

If the spirits of the past haunt Madikwe, it is a gentle haunting. Like so many of South Africa's game reserves, it is a place of tranquillity and astounding beauty. Unlike any other park, however, it is also home to the unusual and memorable wilderness experience that is Mosetlha Bush Camp.

First published by MediaClubSouthAfrica.com – get free high-resolution photos and professional feature articles from Brand South Africa's media service.

There's no better way to experience the African bush than to spend some time in one of our award-winning private game lodges.

The famous Big Five - elephant, lion, rhino, leopard and buffalo - and more.

South Africans "stood for what being an African is about" during the 2010 Fifa World Cup and should "keep the love going", says Nkatlego, a youngster from Soweto – while giving her thoughts on what it means to be South African.

Published on SouthAfrica.info on 28 July 2010.

Source: Fly the Flag Fridays

Nonhlanhla Kobokwana

The Soweto Wine Festival, now into its sixth year and regarded by some as South Africa's most exciting wine fest, this year includes a business arena as well as additional space to accommodate Johannesburg's enthusiastic wine fans.

The Soweto Wine Festival takes place at the University of Johannesburg Soweto Campus from 2 to 4 September.

Thanks to its huge growth in popularity, this year's Festival will include a large marquee, which will be added to the side of the hall, to cope with crowd capacity. And careers in wine, wine education and entrepreneurial opportunities in wine will be on show at the new Wine Business Education arena.

It is believed that the education arena will provide a strong platform for business opportunities and add economic value to South African wine producers by introducing local wines to new markets, which will result in increased local consumption and sales.

Scope for enormous growth

Marilyn Cooper of Cape Wine Master, joint founding member of the Soweto Wine Festival and the managing director of the Cape Wine Academy, the organisers of the festival, said that this year, there will be scope for enormous growth.

"It is the most exciting wine festival in South Africa," she reckoned.

Visitors will be able to taste over 800 of South Africa's best-known wines from 100 wine producers, including some of the country's most reputable, award-winning labels and most successful empowerment brands.

It is expected that more than 6 500 people will visit the 2010 festival. Over and above the tasting and meeting cultivars, the show will offer a further dimension with lifestyle brands and a food court.

Food and wine pairing

Pick n Pay, one of the sponsors, will present two one-hour food and wine pairing sessions hosted by wine experts and renowned chefs.

DSTV is another sponsor. Colleen Goodman, the media group's marketing manager, says DSTV is once again proud to be a partner of the Soweto Wine Festival.

"We are proud to play a part in this astonishing growth and to help introduce wine to the people of not only Soweto but Gauteng. We are also happy to have signed a three-year deal to be part of the event."

The business of wine

Another co-founder of the festival, Mnikelo Mangciphu, the owner of Morara Wine Emporium in Soweto, says: "We are no longer a small wine festival. A much-anticipated change to the festival is the businesses arm. One must love wine to be in the business of wine."

Mangciphu added that the business of wine in South Africa has huge potential, but is largely untapped by the black market. "We need to share our knowledge to grow others. Wine is our heritage. It is time."

The Soweto Wine Festival runs from 2 to 4 September at the Main Hall, University of Johannesburg Soweto Campus, Chris Hani Road, Soweto. Doors are open from 18:00 to 22:00 daily.

Tickets are R60 per person and can be bought at the door; at the Pick n Pay Hypers in Boksburg, Norwood, Woodmead, Steeledale, Northgate, Princess Crossing, Soweto and Greenstone; at Morara Wine Emporium; and at the Cape Wine Academy.

Source: City of Johannesburg

Festivals

Celebrating every art, food, drink and farm commodity!

Arts & entertainment

A selection of upcoming events, plus links to the major entertainment guides.

As the world's best BMX riders converge on South Africa for the UCI BMX World Championships, starting on Thursday, the track has been opened to critical acclaim from the global BMX fraternity.

From the top of the eight-metre-high elite start ramp, Pietermaritzburg's deputy mayor Jabu Ngube was all smiles on Monday as she overcame her fear of heights to cut the banner to formally open the new-age track for the competition, aided by the UCI Technical delegate Johan Lindstrom, Cycling South Africa president Greg Till, and Pietermaritzburg BMX racing icon Sharlene McGillvray.

"We might have missed out on the soccer, but now it is Pietermaritzburg's time to shine," said Ngube.

A sporting destination

"We are working hard to position the city as a sporting destination, and the BMX World Champs is an excellent chance to show the world what we can do."

She also urged Pietermaritzburg sport lovers to support the event in numbers, which will in turn support the city's bids to host other major international events in the future.

"This way each and every person that attends the event will also be serving the city," she added.

Cycling South Africa president Greg Till was all smiles surveying the state-of-the-art track, which for the first time will feature dual tracks for the elite and cruiser classes, and two separate start ramps.

'A dream come true'

"It is totally awesome and a dream come true," said Till. "I have overcome the disbelief and I must say that the entire set-up has way exceeded my expectations."

Till also underscored the importance of staging an Olympic discipline world championships to such high standards, and the impact this would have on cycling's ongoing drive to have BMX included in the Commonwealth Games.

He also threw his weight behind the deputy-mayor's call for the public to support all four days of the event. "The support from Pietermaritzburg for the recent downhill MTB event was outstanding. I really hope that we can get the same sort of support for this event as we might get for a rugby match."

Home support

"All our riders will be easily identifiable in their green and gold, and you cannot understand what a difference the home crowd support will make for a lot of these riders," he added.

"We have plenty of world numbers and very experienced riders, but we also have riders who have never raced at this level. For these guys and girls the support of the home crowd in the Royal Showgrounds will mean a great deal," added Till.

The UCI BMX World Championships takes place at the Royal Showgrounds in Pietermaritzburg from Thursday, 29 July to Sunday, 1 August.

SAinfo reporter

Hosting the big events

Our track record for hosting major international sporting events speaks for itself.

The Rainbow Nation

South Africa is a culturally diverse country, one nation made up of many peoples.

A number of South African civil society groups are tackling xenophobia in an innovative way – one signature at a time – with a campaign to collect one million signed pledges against xenophobia, intolerance, intimidation and violence in the country.

The Scalabrini Centre and People Against Suffering, Suppression, Oppression and Poverty – organisations that assist refugees and asylum seekers – together with Black Sash, an organisation that assists the public on the legal front, and gender and human rights group Sonke Gender Justice Network, are the driving forces behind the Unite as One Campaign.

The nationwide campaign kicked off in Cape Town on Mandela Day, 18 July, and runs until African Human Rights Day on 17 October.

Black Sash advocacy programme manager Nkosikhulule Nyembezi said the campaign hoped to build on the incredible sense of African unity experienced in South Africa during the 2010 Fifa World Cup.

"We have proved we are a winning nation who can achieve anything if we work together," Nyembezi said. "Now we must work to win human dignity and protection for all those who seek shelter in our land."

A campaign web page – www.uniteasone.org.za – and facebook page – www.facebook.com/unite.as.one – have been set up.

The public can sign the pledge online or download copies and circulate among them their friends and colleagues.

It is hoped that once people sign the pledge they will feel compelled to report acts of violence or intimidation against foreign nationals.

Source: BuaNews

Funding will be crucial to an effective result in the climate change negotiations scheduled to take place in Cancun, Mexico later this year, say the environmental ministers of South Africa, Brazil, India and China.

The ministers from the top four developing nations ended a two-day meeting in Rio de Janeiro this week during which they stressed the need for detailed and comprehensive information on fast-start financing by developed countries to curb the effects of climate change.

In a statement released after the meeting, the ministers, including South Africa's environment minister, Buyelwa Sonjica, expressed their concern with the lack of operational guidelines for the provision of financial resources based on the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the "understandings" achieved in Copenhagen last year.

"Ministers reaffirmed their support for the G77 and China proposal regarding the financial mechanism of the UNFCCC and expressed their appreciation for the convergence within the negotiations on the creation of a new fund to fight climate change," the statement read. "They were of the view that public financing should play the major role as a predictable source of financing."

The ministers said the work of the UN Secretary-General's High-level Advisory Group on Climate Change Financing should fulfill the expectations of developing countries and be in accordance with the principles of the UNFCCC.

The meeting further highlighted the importance of achieving a balanced outcome in Cancun, something developed countries failed to do in Copenhagen.

"Ministers emphasised the importance of the unity of the Group of 77 and China and its role in multilateral negotiations, including in the construction and strengthening of the climate change regime".

The next round of talks between the ministers of the four countries will be held in China in October ahead of the Mexico negotiations in November.

Source: BuaNews

First National Bank is set to launch a new solution enabling employers to pay the workers without bank accounts via their mobile phones, giving them immediate access to their salaries via the bank's ATMs – without needing bank cards or accounts.

According to 2009 FinScope research, South Africa has more than 27-million economically active individuals, 37% of whome do not have bank accounts.

"Pay Wallet is yet another innovative solution from FNB ensuring that all South Africans are active participants in the growth of our economy," FNB Smart Services CEO Yolande van Wyk said in a statement this week."

"It affords those with no access to banking services to be paid electronically without the need of a bank account."

Safe, affordable, convenient

According to FNB, the Pay Wallet offers its corporate, commercial and public sector clients safety, affordability and convenience by allowing them to electronically pay their employees' salaries.

"Pay Wallet will reduce our clients' risk of theft and fraud as well as the cost and inconvenience associated with handling cash," said FNB Commercial's head of sales and client relationships, Michael Vacy-Lyle.

"By accessing a specifically developed portal on FNB Online Banking, clients will have the ability to create and pay wallet holders in real-time, and wallet holders will have immediate access to their money by withdrawing cash at an FNB ATM."

According to Vacy-Lyle, clients will also have the ability to "sponsor" up to two cash withdrawals for the recipient in order to further reduce costs for employees.

"Through our commitment to entrepreneurship and enabling businesses to manage their cash flow effectively, we focus on innovation as a key driver in making banking more affordable, accessible and convenient to our clients – saving them time and money," he said.

Focus on innovation

The solution caters for any disbursements which previously relied on cash or cheque payments; and clients also have the option of providing recipients with a Pay Wallet card, which can be used at any ATM and for cash back or purchases at point of sale.

"Our solution provides employees who do not own a bank account, the opportunity of being able to receive their funds instantaneously and electronically," said Van Wyk. "FNB's focus on innovation has created the ability for our clients to conduct their financial matters safely and securely, and far more conveniently."

SAinfo reporter

New markets, trends in small business - and opportunities in unexpected places.

Gabi Khumalo

It has been many years since her teaching days, but Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga returned to the front of the class on Monday to give teachers at the Winnie Ngwekazi Primary school in Soweto tips on how it should be done.

English text book in one hand and chalk in the other, Motshekga spent more than two hours reading with grade 3 students. She then explained the content of the story, greatly amusing the kids by referring to them as "angel" and "baby boy" or "baby girl" when answering their questions.

"You must read loud and with confidence, like the presenters on TV," Motshekga told the children.

After reading, it was time for a spelling lesson. "Take out your pen, write today's date and – no cheating," she warned. The students did not disappoint, spelling most of the words correctly.

The minister, who visited the school as part of activities to mark Mandela Month, encouraged the kiods to read a book at least once a week. "If you see a book or newspaper, read it, and if there is a word you don’t understand, go to your dictionary and check its meaning, and you'll become clever kids.

"The secret to success is through reading, and if you pass well, we've got a government who will pay for your [university] fees and you can be what you want to be," Motshekga said.

School principal Pumla Mabilo said they were impressed with Motshekga's teaching skills. "We are humbled by her visit and have picked up on her teaching skills and will implement them, as our aim is to remain the school of excellence," Mabilo said.

Grade 4 science teacher Bheki Radebe said the minister's visit showed the school that she cared and had encouraged the teachers to do their best.

"Challenges are always there in schools, but we deal with them; if you know your story, you don't panic when the minister comes to your school," Radebe said.

Motshekga acknowledged the teachers, saying they had maintained a high standard of learning in the school.

"I'm so impressed. There's order in the school, the kids are very bright and the school is very clean. I'm also impressed with the school's Life Orientation Programme, which is very important to help them to work through their difficulties," she said.

Source: BuaNews

Government, business & civil society initiatives to improve South Africans' lives.

Combining years of research on water purification, food microbiology and nanotechnology, scientists at South Africa's Stellenbosch University have developed a high-tech "tea bag" filter that fits into the neck of a bottle and turns polluted water into clean water as you drink from it.

It promises to provide easy access to clean drinking water for vulnerable communities, for instance those living near polluted water streams. There are also plans to commercialise the filter bag into a product that can be used by outdoor enthusiasts on hiking or camping trips.

When microbiologist Professor Eugene Cloete became Dean of the Faculty of Science at Stellenbosch University (SU) in January 2009, he picked up on relevant research outside his own field of expertise, which sparked the invention of a high-tech disposable filter that looks like a tea bag and cleans highly polluted water.

Together with researchers from the Department of Microbiology and SU polymer scientists, he recently patented the innovative invention –a portable, easy-to-use, environmentally friendly water filter bag that fits into the neck of a bottle.

"The water is cleaned right then and there when you drink from the bottle," Cloete said in a statement issued by the university last week.

Water provision, sustainability

As a past executive vice-president of the International Water Association and a member of Coca-Cola's worldwide panel of water experts, Cloete believes water provision and sustainability go hand in hand.

"The lack of availability of adequate, safe and affordable water supplies impacts severely on vulnerable groups such as the poor, the elderly, HIV/Aids patients and children," he said.

"More than 90% of all cholera cases are reported in Africa, and 300-million people on our continent do not have access to safe drinking water. Clearly, something has to be done about this."

Cloete believes the "tea bag" filter shows the way forward because it represents decentralised, point-of-use technology. It can help meet the needs of people who live or travel in remote areas, or people whose regular water supply is not being treated to potable standards.

"It is simply impossible to build purification infrastructure at every polluted stream. So we have to take the solution to the people," he said.

Trans-disciplinary initiatives

The invention has become one of the first major projects of the new Stellenbosch University Water Institute, a trans-disciplinary initiative established to intensify the search for lasting solutions to the country and continent's water woes.

Cloete, who is the chairperson of the Water Institute, says he got the idea for the filter on an introductory visit to InnovUS, the university's technology transfer company, some 18 months ago.

"I was shown the electro-spinning technique of spinning ultra-thin fibres on a nanoscale developed by Dr Eugene Smit of the Department of Chemistry and Polymer Science," he said.

"Right away, my mind started churning through the possibilities of how it could be used to clean polluted water."

'Off-the-shelf materials'

A research team was put together and, after various trials and experiments, a filter sachet was developed that not only resembles a tea bag in shape and size, but is made of the same biodegradable material as off-the-shelf rooibos tea bags:

• The inside of the tea bag material is coated with a thin film of biocides encapsulated within minute nanofibres, which kills all disease-causing microbes.
• The bag is filled not with tea leaves but with active carbon granules that remove all harmful chemicals, for instance endocrine disruptors.
• Each "tea bag" filter can clean one litre of the most polluted water to the point where it is 100% safe to drink.
• Once used, the bag is thrown away, and a new one is inserted into the bottle neck.

"We tested the filter with water taken from a river here in the Stellenbosch area. The samples were highly polluted with pathogens, but they came out completely clean on the other side," said Dr Michéle de Kwaadsteniet, a postdoctoral fellow working on the project with Cloete and Professor Leon Dicks of the Department of Microbiology.

The "tea bag" filter is currently being tested by the South African Bureau of Standards, after which the team hopes to roll it out to various communities.

"It really is exciting to be part of a potentially life-changing project," said Dr Marelize Botes, postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Microbiology and a member of the water filter bag research team. "It's such an easy-to-use and practical solution to something that’s been a major problem for so long."

HOPE Project

The Stellenbosch University Water Institute and its "tea bag" water filter form part of its HOPE Project, a set of development goals aimed at improving lives in South Africa and the rest of the continent.

"We firmly believe that science should serve the needs of society. By aligning the expertise of our scientists with the national and international development agenda, we want to become more relevant to society," said Professor Russel Botman, rector and vice-chancellor of the University.

SAinfo reporter

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