South Africa has become a member of a European institute that makes joint use of radio telescopes spread across the world to produce the clearest available images of some of the most distant and energetic objects in the universe.

The Joint Institute for Very Long Baseline Interferometry in Europe (Jive) last week welcomed South Africa's National Research Foundation (NRF) as a member.

JIVE's funding organisations already include the National Astronomical Observatories of China, as well as European national research councils and facilities in France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the UK.

Jive supports the European VLBI Network (EVN) of radio astronomy facilities, which collaborates with international facilities to conduct Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI), an astronomical technique "that uses widely separated radio telescopes in conjunction with each other to simulate a single telescope hundreds or thousands of kilometres in diameter," Jive said in a statement last week.

"This technique produces the clearest, highest resolution images of some of the most distant and energetic objects in the universe."

South Africa's Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory (HartRAO) has been an active member of the EVN since 2001, and its 26-metre dish has participated in EVN observations for an even longer time.

HartRAO is also working with various African countries to convert obsolete satellite communications dishes across the continent into radio telescopes to create an African VLBI network which, it is planned, will also collaborate with Jive.

South Africa's radio astronomy - and VLBI - capabilities will be hugely augmented when the Karoo Array Telescope (also known as the MeerKAT), a 64-dish precursor instrument for the Square Kilometre Array, is commissioned in 2014/15.

"The formal addition of the NRF as a full Jive member signals the NRF's commitment to VLBI and to the future of our collaboration in the EVN in particular," said Jive director Huib van Langevelde.

"The NRF partnership commits Jive to actively assist in making these facilities successful new additions to the VLBI network.

"Hartebeesthoek's participation in VLBI observations over the past several years has improved the performance of the EVN tremendously," Van Langevelde said. "We look forward to observing together with these new South African telescopes to further strengthen the EVN."

SAinfo reporter

View our collection of some of the best satellite images of South Africa.

US independent power provider Hydro Alternative Energy is in talks with the City of Durban on plans to develop a world-first project that would harvest hydrokinetic energy from the fast-flowing Agulhas current off South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal coastline.

Senior company representatives were currently holding talks with eThekwini Municipality officials on the project, Florida-based Hydro Alternative Energy (HAE) said in a statement on Monday.

HAE said the municipality had given its in-principle support for the project, which would be undertaken in stages, the first stage involving the identification of suitable sites for mooring offshore power generation systems, followed by requests for the necessary environmental permits and power generation licences.

The plan is to develop a US$20-million 1-megawatt demonstration unit, after which additional units 8 MW units would be built "and likewise submerged, approximately 30 metres (98 feet) below sea level, to prevent interference with shipping", the company said.

'One of the most consistent currents in the world'

"The Agulhas is one of the most consistent currents in the world," Derek Morgan of eThekwini's energy unit told The Mercury newspaper. So, if the ocean current generation was to happen, Durban would be an ideal location to start harnessing it.

"If we can get it right, it has the potential to completely transform the city into a green energy location for investment," Morgan said.

'Never been done before'

Company co-CEO Mark Antonucci said that generating electric power from sea currents had never been done before. "All previous sea and wave generation technologies have been tidal based.

"We are very excited about our continued meetings and discussions with our Municipality of eThekwini partner to move this project forward to reality," Antonucci said.

"We again note the commitment of Durban and the eThekwini Municipality to substantially reducing their carbon footprint and becoming 'greener', with the eThekwini Municipality having recently hosted the 17th Conference of the Parties [COP 17] to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change."

SAinfo reporter

South African travel technology company Tourism Radio has teamed up with global guidebook specialist Frommer's to provide "the next generation of travel guides" that begin playing on travellers' mobiles as they enter their location.

"Tourism Radio's unique mobile technology seamlessly blends Frommer's text content with Tourism Radio audio clips, which automatically play as travellers enter their location," Tourism Radio said in a statement last month.

The initial partnership involves the release of audio and text travel guides to a number of popular travel destinations around the world, including comprehensive guides to New York, London and Paris.

The guides can be downloaded as standalone applications for Android and iPhone, or accessed through Tourism Radio's travel application, Hummba - listed by Forbes magazine as one of the Top 20 Startups in Africa in February this year.

"Travellers will now be able to easily access an unprecedented amount of quality travel information, directly from their mobile phones," said Tourism Radio founder and CEO Mark Allewell.

Tourism Radio's location-based audio travel guides can be downloaded for between US$0.99 and $4.99. A selection of free, "lite" guides can also be downloaded by travellers wishing to sample the content before committing to a purchase.

Founded in Cape Town in 2005, Tourism Radio currently has offices in South Africa, New Zealand and Spain.

SAinfo reporter

Canadian miner Platinum Group Metals has announced the discovery of potentially rich platinum deposits in a previously unexplored part of the platinum-rich Bushveld Igneous Complex in the Waterberg region of South Africa's Limpopo province.

The company first announced its Waterberg discovery in November, followed by a statement in February saying that "multiple intercepts of consistently high grade, thick reef" with "excellent exploration potential" had been discovered at depths of much less than 1 000 metres.

Extension of the Bushveld Complex

It described the estimated basket metal price for the reefs under exploration as "attractive and high in gold", noting that the northern "limb" of the Bushveld Complex had seen an increase in exploration and investment in the past seven years because of "larger thickness" suitable for mechanized mining.

The company's Waterberg project is located north of this northern limb - an extension of the Bushveld Complex that the company discovered in 2011.

On the basis of the high grade, shallow and wide drill intercepts discovered since then, the company estimates that the extension covers at least 100 square kilometres.

'Don't assume the best stuff's already been found'

It has expanded its Waterberg exploration programme from five to eight drill rigs, with CEO Mike Jones, in an interview with Business Day, describing the find as "geologically the most interesting thing I've done".

"In South Africa, there's been more than 100 years of mining, but don't be so sure the best-grade thicknesses have all been found yet," he told Business Day last week.

According to the newspaper, Platinum Group "has diverted its entire geology team from its Western Bushveld Joint Venture mine near the Pilanesberg game reserve to the project, and may add two more drill rigs and dramatically bump up the venture's US$2-million exploration budget."

The Waterberg project is a joint venture between Platinum Group (49.9%), Japanese state company JOGMEC (37%), and South African empowerment company Mnombo Wethu, which owns a 26% stake in the project (and is 49% owned by Platinum Group).

SAinfo reporter

First-world infrastructure plus a vibrant emerging market equals huge investment potential!

South African Airways (SAA) has launched a new service between Johannesburg and Maun, Botswana - gateway to the world-famous Okavango Delta - as the continent's most awarded airline continues to grow its African network.

The service, operational from 15 June, will complement SAA's multiple daily flights between Johannesburg and Botswana's capital, Gaborone.

To be operated by SAA's regional partner, SA Airlink, the service will allow travellers on SAA's morning, non-stop flight from New York to Johannesburg to make a same-day connection to Maun with an arrival in the early afternoon.

"SAA is committed to offering the most extensive route network to Africa's best leisure and business destinations, and Maun serves as a key addition to that strategy, being the best airport from which to access the beauty of the Okavango Delta," Todd Neuman, SAA's executive vice-president for North America, said in a recent statement.

"SAA's new service to Maun will open up a new and convenient way to access one of Botswana's most popular safari destinations through our partners at Airlink," Neuman said.

"Our morning non-stop service from New York to Johannesburg will provide travellers with the fastest way to arrive in Maun, so that they may spend more time exploring some of the best game viewing on the African continent."

SAA's network features connections to nearly 20 destinations within South Africa, and more than 25 cities across the rest of the continent.

SAinfo reporter

South Africa's national women's football team, Banyana Banyana, were handed a very tough draw for the London Olympic Games on Wednesday. Their pool includes three teams ranked inside the top seven in the world.

At number three in the Fifa rankings, 2011 World Cup winners Japan present a formidable obstacle, while Sweden is ranked fifth and Canada seventh. South Africa is ranked 65th.

"Drawing World Cup champions Japan in our group ... well, it doesn't come much more challenging than that," captain Amanda Dlamini said in a statement on Wednesday. "But we are a highly competitive unit and will give it our all to make all those who have been supporting us, including the football fans in South Africa and across the African continent, proud.

'A dream come true'

"It's a dream come true for Banyana Banyana to be a part of Team SA at the Olympics, and I can assure you that the players will be working harder than ever in training in the hope of being among the 18 athletes who will get the chance to compete in London," Dlamini said.

South Africa face the Swedes first in Coventry on 25 July. That match is followed by another at the same venue two days later, against Canada. On 31 July, Banyana take on Japan in Cardiff.

Banyana coach Joseph Mkhonza was in London for the draw on Wednesday and shared his thoughts about it afterwards. "We are humbled to be here as this is a historic day for us as South Africans, and we have been drawn against some high-profile teams," he said.

'Not an easy task'

"It will not be an easy task for us, so we need to step up preparations to ensure that we're ready to compete against these three countries, but as you know the game of football can be very unpredictable, and this all depends on how a team performs on the day.

"We are very optimistic given the fact that, thanks to Sasol and Safa (the South African Football Association), we've been having various training camps since the beginning of the year to ensure that we make our presence felt coming to the Olympics as we look to promote women's football in South Africa."

South Africa will contest Group F at the Olympics. Group E is made up of composite team Great Britain, New Zealand (ranked 24th in the world), Cameroon (52nd) and Brazil (4th), while Group G includes the USA (1st), France (6th), Colombia (28th) and North Korea (8th).

After the group phase of competition, the top two teams from each pool will advance to the last eight, along with the two best third-place teams.

SAinfo reporter

MasterCard has partnered with local mobile-centric financial services company Oltio to bring MasterCard Mobile to the South African market, expanding the platform for online shopping in the country.

MasterCard Mobile lets MasterCard and Maestro cardholders make online purchases using their mobile phones. Consumers can use the platform to make secure online purchases with their PIN-based debit, cheque or credit cards by linking these to their mobile phones.

"It's a convenient and cost-effective payment mechanism that doesn't require customers to open yet another bank account," Oltio CEO Terry Timson said in a statement last week.

To use the service, cardholders must select the MasterCard Mobile option on participating e-commerce sites. First-time users will be prompted to register their cards and their mobile phone numbers on a secure site.

Thereafter, the cardholder's mobile phone number is used to initiate payments, which the cardholder authorises by entering their PINs into their mobile phones.

Online shopping on the increase

According to the latest MasterCard Worldwide online shopping survey, released last week, online shopping has increased significantly in South Africa and continues to show potential for growth.

Fifty-eight percent of South Africans surveyed said they used the internet for shopping, with price, convenience and security being the key factors they considered when purchasing online.

The MasterCard Mobile solution "provides another secure and convenient payment platform for these consumers, and those who have previously been unable to use their Maestro debit card online," said Anna Jones, division president at MasterCard Worldwide in South Africa.

'Greater peace of mind'

Jones said the platform would give users peace of mind because they no longer needed to share their card details with online retailers. The information would be securely held by MasterCard Mobile, which would verify and conclude the consumer's payments.

"The MasterCard Mobile solution does not levy any additional fees to the cardholder and, unlike EFTs, the payment is made instantly," Jones added.

The company said MasterCard Mobile was currently being piloted, with a view to rolling the platform out to most local e-commerce sites in the near future. The platform is also being used for MTN airtime purchases.

The mobile solution can also enable person-to-person money transfers, and can be used at offline stores that are MasterCard Mobile-enabled, according to the company. However, this service is not yet available in South Africa.

SAinfo reporter

First-world infrastructure plus a vibrant emerging market equals huge investment potential!

Brand South Africa has come up with an inspiring new way to get South Africans thinking about what they will be celebrating on the country's Freedom Day, 27 April.

Through an extensive campaign using messages on street poles along major roads, the organisation will be reminding all citizens of the country's struggle for freedom - its hardships as well as its rewards.

'Our freedom wasn't free ...'

"Our freedom wasn't free," starts the message on the first board, leading on to "But what it inspired is priceless" on the second.

The adverts form part of a bigger campaign called Play Your Part, which is aimed at promoting active citizenship while fostering pride in how far South Africa has come since the birth of its democracy in 1994.

Freedom Day is observed on 27 April to commemorate the first democratic elections held on that date in 1994. This year is the 18th anniversary of these elections.

'Freedom is for all'

A message from the government website says of Freedom Day: "It is an occasion for the country to remember and celebrate struggle icons and honour those who continue to be committed to transformation and to building a better life for all of us."

The statement adds that the celebrations around this special day create awareness that "freedom and human rights are for all human beings, regardless of race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.

"This day reaffirms our freedom and ensures that the violation of such rights never occurs again."

Friday's events and commemorations will fall under the national theme "Working together to build unity and prosperity for all".

'Let's be inspired to continue'

Brand South Africa is building on this theme in their campaign by focusing on achievements by the country since the transition from apartheid to democracy.

"We'll never forget how far we've come. In just 18 years, we've achieved the impossible - inspired the world with our unbreakable spirit and thirst for progress," the campaign message goes.

"So as we celebrate South Africa's liberation this Freedom Month, and our children get ready to define our tomorrow, let's be inspired to continue building a country that we can all be proud of."

All South Africans are called on to commemorate the day.

"Hold onto your freedom," Brand South Africa reminds us.

MediaClubSouthAfrica.com reporter

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

The BRICS grouping of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa has called on the G20 to strengthen its coordination and find ways to improve the multilateral trading system in order to address current global economic uncertainties.

The call was made at a G20 ministerial meeting in Mexico over the weekend.

South African Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies said the BRICS trade ministers had called upon their fellow G20 trade ministers to identify ways to improve the multilateral trading system.

"We have made this call, so that all economies may pursue a sustainable and 'development-friendly' integration in global trade, including adjustment strategies for their industries and workforce, as well as the appropriate social and sectoral policies to respond to existing structural vulnerabilities," Davies said in a statement released on Monday.

Conclusion of Doha Round 'vital'

The BRICS ministers had re-emphased their commitment to the Doha Development Round, saying the conclusion of the Doha would be a significant step in this direction and urging the G20 to work towards this.

According to BRICS ministers, while global value chains were playing an increasing role in trade, many sectors, industries and even countries were not participating in global value chains as fully as others.

"In order for global value chains to serve as instruments of growth and development, it would be important to develop a deeper understanding of their developmental impact and the conditions under which they can be used to achieve long term socio-economic gains," Davies said.

At the same time, Davies cautioned that obstacles should not be placed in the way of the development and effective functioning of global value chains "for protectionist reasons".

"In this context, it would be useful to have a member-driven process, in the WTO, Unctad and other intergovernmental agencies, to examine this issue, including the identification of more accurate statistical methods to assess value addition."

SAinfo reporter

Deputy Trade and Industry Minister Elizabeth Thabethe will lead a group of South African companies to the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair taking place in Bulawayo from Tuesday to Saturday.

Thabethe said in a statement on Monday that it was important for South Africa, in its push for sustainable economic development and investment in the wider southern African region, to pursue partnerships with Zimbabwe.

She added that the Fair, with its strong international orientation, would offer regional and international business contacts to the South African exhibitors.

"They will also get an opportunity to market their products and services, increase their market knowledge of Zimbabwe, increase exports of South African manufactured goods and services, obtain trade leads, and generate export orders," Thabethe said.

"Also, by establishing their presence in Zimbabwe, South African companies will be able to access other markets in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region like Zambia, Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola."

The companies exhibiting at the Fair have received financial assistance from the Department of Trade and Industry DTI through its Export Marketing and Investment Assistance (EMIA) Scheme, which seeks to develop export markets for South African value-added products and services and to recruit new foreign direct investment into the country.

According to the DTI, the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair is one of the largest intra-regional and multi-sectoral trade fairs south of the Sahara.

In 2011 the fair attracted 729 exhibitors, 139 of whom were foreign exhibitors from Botswana, Indonesia, Pakistan, Egypt, Kenya, Germany, Malawi, Turkey, Ghana, Mozambique, Zambia, Iran and Namibia. 146 646 visitors passed through the Bulawayo International Exhibition Centre's turnstiles to attend the exhibition.

"The recovery of the Zimbabwean economy since the advent of dollarization three years ago has seen demand for exhibition space from international exhibitors growing considerably," the DTI said.

SAinfo reporter