recent cape-town news from techcentral.co.za
Eskom rolls out EV charging stations in new pilot
Midrand, Johannesburg Brackenfell, Cape Town Mkondeni, Pietermaritzburg, Tlhabane Customer Network Centre, Rustenburg Marathon Customer Network Centre in Mbombela Groundwork "These sites will serve as the foundation for Eskom Distribut
SA withdraws nuclear energy plan for further talks
The government said in December last year that it was preparing to request bids for an extra 2.5GW of nuclear power, but the then-opposition Democratic Alliance and two non-governmental organisations launched legal challenges to try to block the procurement. The DA is now part of the co
Two more arrests in DStv piracy crackdown
Working with detectives from the Milnerton police station, the company secured the arrest of two suspects behind the alleged piracy operation. Two suspects - one male and one female - were apprehended for allegedly selling pirate internet streaming devices that provided illegal access t
Smart geysers - the key to ending load shedding permanently
This is the view of Jon Kornik, CEO of Cape Town-based Plentify , a technology start-up that works with solar installers and other companies to deploy smart geyser timers into homes in South Africa. Smart geysers, Kornik told TechCentral in an interview, help address the "mismatch" betw
Delinquent municipalities owe Eskom R82-billion
Eskom supplies electricity to the municipalities, which in turn sell it on to households and businesses - and both have seen a rapid rise in outstanding debts. The overdue amount owed to the utility has quadrupled over the last five years, frustrating efforts to stabilise its finances just as it
Africa Data Centres expands Cape Town facility
According to a statement on Friday, the company is expanding the facility in response to a growing appetite for computing capacity in the local market. "This expansion by Africa Data Centres is in response to the increasing demand for co-location capacity in South Africa. Not only is Ca
Suspect arrested in DStv piracy raid
It said that on Thursday, a successful raid was conducted in Gauteng with the support of detectives from the Eldorado Park police station. It followed similar raids recently in the Cape Town and Johannesburg. "The suspect, Jurgen Johannes Potgieter, was arrested for selling login creden
Koeberg unit 1 to operate for another 20 years
The 40-year operating licence of unit 1 of the plant outside Cape Town was due to expire this month, but state-owned utility Eskom applied for a 20-year extension to operations as part of efforts to end crippling power shortages. Some environmental activists opposed the application, cit
Emerging markets must embrace renewables: Ramaphosa
Addressing a national treasury and World Bank climate change conference in Pretoria on Monday, Ramaphosa said the carbon intensity of South Africas economy, which relies heavily on burning coal to produce electricity, was unsustainable. For decades our reliance on coal allowed us to pro
South Africa planning 2.5GW nuclear power station
Work has reached an advanced stage, and a team is working on a deal and finalising the procurement structure for the project, energy minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa told the newspaper. Ramokgopa, who first announced the plan last December, hopes national treasury will sign off on the pla
Sentech launches Freevision Play, a free streaming TV service
Described by the company as a "ground-breaking over-the-top video streaming platform", Freevision Play will offer free access to a "wide array of local and community TV and radio channels". "Freevision Play is available to everyone with an internet connection and can be accessed via sma
Economic growth to be GNU's top priority
The accord, signed in Cape Town on Friday, sets the revival of South Africa's economy as the first of 11 priorities that the incoming administration will focus on. It touts fixed capital investment, structural reforms and fiscal sustainability as key objectives to getting the economy back on tra
Big section of 2Africa subsea cable is now live
"The initial phase of activation connects Kenya, Tanzania and South Africa, heralding a new era of high-speed, reliable internet access," Airtel Telesonic, the wholesale arm of Airtel Africa, said in a statement on Wednesday. When completed, the 45 000km 2Africa system will encircle Afr
iStore now offers deliveries in 60 minutes
iStore, the retail chain owned by Apple distributor Core Group , has joined the fray, promising free deliveries in the Cape Town and Sandton CBDs in less than 60 minutes. It is also promising scheduled deliveries, so customers can get their products delivered at a time of their choosing
South Africans head to the polls in crucial election
South Africans vote in an election on Wednesday that looks set to reshape a political landscape dominated for three decades by the party that Nelson Mandela led to power. The ANC has won every vote since the end of white-minority rule in 1994, but its support slipped from a pea
Some Eskom power stations will not be shut down as planned
Eskom needs to run some coal-fired plants for longer than their planned retirement deadlines to avoid leaving the national grid "vulnerable", according to its CEO. The utility has approved a plan to keep using at least three stations that were scheduled to close over the next f
Checkers Sixty60 to expand beyond groceries
Shoprite Groups Checkers Sixty60 app is getting a major overhaul, with the retail group promising "lightning-fast delivery" of 10 000 larger-sized products from its Checkers Hyper stores with same-day fulfilment. New delivery vans have been added to its existing to its fleet of
How South Africa's internet exchanges are boosting African connectivity
South Africa's internet exchange points are playing a key role in the efficiency and stability of the internet across Africa, according to Ispa's INX-ZA. South African internet exchange points (IXPs) are playing a key role in improving the efficiency and reliability of global i
Subsea cable cuts hit Africa again, causing major disruption
Two submarine internet cables that connect South Africa and Kenya went on the blink on Sunday, severely impacting internet services in nations in East Africa. The immediate cause of the faults, which are reportedly affecting the Eassy and Seacom cable systems that run along Afr
Same-day delivery a key priority for Amazon in South Africa
Amazon has identified same-day delivery as a key strategic play in its battle to grow market share after the US-headquartered online retail giant commenced operations in the country on Tuesday. Speaking in a podcast on Wednesday, Robert Koen, Amazon's MD of sub-Saharan Africa,