Jan 2023 Edition

POLARISED SUNGLASSES

By: Zimkhitha Qulu

As the world progresses, things become crystal clear and far more convenient, evolution in scientific and technological advances is the driving force behind such evolution.

The Internet and other advancements in communication technology have aided in the rapid spread of globalization. Access to technology can have many advantages for developing countries, one of which is a boost to a country's economy. Other ways that technology is assisting developing economies include lower production costs, encouraging the growth of new businesses, and advancing communication.

One issue that developing countries must avoid is prioritizing technological innovation over simply adapting to technology. Another issue is that technology distribution must be equal across the country; so far, the poor have not had equal access to technology. Organizations must monitor technology, encourage innovation and job creation - which is what Hanley Nyathi is working towards. Coming from a previously disadvantaged background, Hanley Nyathi founded Hanley Technologies in the year 2007. His love for IT was inspired at an early age by the fascination with TV games.

Those who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, actually do.

Hanley Technologies services include electronics manufacturing, including the assembling/manufacturing of PCs and laptops, IT Security, rendering pixel-perfect digital content and assist businesses in branding themselves, supplies computer hardware including desktops, laptops, switches, routers and wireless equipment just to name a few.

The company grew into a distinguished and reputable ICT services provider through hard work and dedication. Since its inception, the company has specialized in providing IT infrastructure solutions to clients in the public and private sectors.

"IT is a vision to me, a dream actually, it's something I grew up with," Nyathi explained. “As an entrepreneur, I believe we need to change our mindset about purchasing equipment from outside sources. ”

"We have the ability to create our own system, software, and hardware. That is what motivates me. To say that Hanley Nyathi is one of the most influential IT people in South Africa would be an absolute understatement.

Manufacturing your own laptops is a daunting task that will require a significant amount of time, resources, and money, but it may be able to help you meet your specific needs. To get started, hardware components are essential.

‘’You don't wake up today and decide to build a laptop or buy components and develop your own brand, there are processes that you need to go through".

- Hanley Nyathi

‘’You don't wake up today and decide to build a laptop or buy components and develop your own brand, there are processes that you need to go through, things like ICASA approval and Microsoft approval, you need to go over those processes, from there you need to partner with the Chinese from outside, because we can't lie the Chinese still lead on the space when it comes to ICT.” Hanley mentioned in a Metro Fm talk with Ayabonga Cawe.

One of the most striking aspects of China's remarkable economic growth is the country's massive export volume, which is increasingly high-tech. China has surpassed the United States as the world's largest exporter of information and communication technology (ICT), which is where Hanley obtains the second components of manufacturing the laptops (hardware). Hardware includes the physical features such as a monitor, case, keyboard, mouse, and printer.

The “Future Hub” will be situated in East London in the Eastern Cape South Africa

The design and the features that are responsible for directing the work to the hardware are developed by Hanley Technologies. “We get the components from China, where they are exported to South Africa and from there we have an assembling plant where they are assembled and packaged to be ready to be placed in the market. “

Currently Hanley Technologies is still finalizing funding and are on about 80% on obtaining it, the funds are for the manufacturing site that will specialize in producing both the hardware and -

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Konvenient Magazine

By: Ashley Ndliwayo

Having a passionate interest in the growth of small entrepreneurial businesses. We look into the business, Gee! Bravura, founded by Gcobisa Ndum-ndum born in Mount Frere and raised in Mthatha. She currently resides in Algoa Park located in Gqeberha. Gee! Bravura is a handmade leather apparel based in Gqeberha. We have a little chat with Gcobisa regarding the background and growth of her business.

Before we speak Gee! Bravura, please tell us which is your favorite Mzansi brand that you love besides yours and why? “Weylandts’ has to be my favorite brand. I love their designs because they implement an earthly touch in everything they create, including the environment of their shops. It radiates healing and peaceful energies for me. I could even say that brand is my role model”.

Now back to Gee! Bravura, when did you commence with your luxury leather line and what inspired you to start your own brand? “I started ‘Gee!’ (now known as Gee! Bravura), in 2020. The intention was to raise enough money to afford my daughter’s school Euro Tour. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity. I began by selling coats and my customers started wanting more from me, they loved my services so much that they believed that I could do more. However, I did not want to be ordinary and produce things that were unnoticeable in the crowd. From that point, this brand came to life. I chose to utilize leather as the primary materials for three reasons. Firstly, it lasts for a very long time; secondly, it is an all season material and lastly, its value increases as time goes by”.

Why the name Gee! Bravura, and what do you want to communicate to the public?

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“Well, at first it was just ‘Gee!’ because that is what almost everyone calls me. My daughter thought that was too plain and suggested we add the exclamation mark. We did that, loved it, and then we were known as ‘Gee!’ for quite a while. When it came to officially registering my business, I started to look for a word that could sit next to ‘Gee!’ to identify it as a clothing and accessories branch - as I already knew that I hope to launch a branch for Home accessories someday (which would be referred to as ‘Gee! Home’ or something like that). As I was searching for synonyms for the word ‘style’, the word ‘bravura’ came up. I went deeper into researching its meaning. Essentially it means: great and brilliance shown in activity. There is skill in what I do with this business so the word really fit. Plus it sounds really rich in its own right. Thenceforth my business became ‘Gee! Bravura’.

What are some of the challenges you faced when you started with Gee! Bravura and how did you overcome those? “Learning to invest in myself, which in this case is in the form of my business was hard. Taking the minimal salary I used to support my business was the challenge. In the long run, however, it has proved to pay off. The other struggle I faced was caused by a fault in strategy. I would manufacture products for customers before I was guaranteed that they would pay the money or complete their deposits on time once I delivered the products to them".

- Changing that system to one that only manufactures goods once payment is done solved that problem”.

What do you think constitutes the power of innovation in the leather making industry? “One can make so many different accessories and forms of clothing from leather (which is also very durable); without doubt that whatever they produce will carry great value. That is what motivates me to use this material and that is part of the reasons, I believe why people are attracted to the leather industry”.

What has been the highlights of your leather brand thus far? “The highlights for my brand are always when a new design receives great adoration”. Lastly, when not busy pushing the brand - what do you do to keep sane? “To cool off and relax my mind from everything, I visit cafes often or I sit in my bed to drink coffee, tea or even wine too while listening to podcasts. Other times my daughter joins me as well".

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By: Zimkhitha Qulu

Founder of Khosikazi SelfCare, Cathrine Nzimande, was born and raised in the East Rand and currently based in the Northern suburbs of Johannesburg. Khosikazi Selfcare was officially launched in 2022 but its conception stage was around 2018 when she grew interest in energy cleansing and healing, using natural salts and botanical herbs.

The name Khosikazi has great significance for Cathrine, it came at a time of deep self-discovery and awareness while she was doing a lot of research around ancient Kings and Queens (AmaKhosi namaKhosikazi), “that’s when I discovered that a kings divine counterpart was called iKhosikazi. I started calling myself Khosikazi as a practice of self-love, affirmation, or “mantra”. And I want the public to know that this brand was created out of deep love and intention that African products can be classy and premium”.

What's your favourite Mzansi brand, also what inspired you to start yours? "My go-to Mzansi brand for skin correction is Optiphi, I indulge in their facials and am 100% obsessed with their Body Curve Scar therapy".

You are who you think you are.

"I have an aromatherapy background and find it so fascinating to alchemise all these elements, I soon realized the healing/relaxation benefits it has on the human body and from that point on all I wanted to share all this goodness".

What are some of the challenges you faced when you started with Khosikazi Selfcare, and how did you overcome those? “The challenges faced with starting and building the brand are getting consumers to trust the quality vs price of our products, we remain consistent with marketing, and only using first-grade ingredients to produce high-quality products.

Building brand awareness is key and you also need to stay true to your vision, our products are very raw and earthy we are fully aware that we won't attract everyone, and we knew from the inception phase that our brand will have an acquired taste of customers”.

Without giving away your secret methods, what goes into manufacturing these products and what distinguishes you from other selfcare brands? The process of manufacturing our products is firstly, sourcing A-grade ingredients:

Our herbs are food-grade and specifically sold to tea manufacturers

We use natural salts that aren’t iodized Our oils are all COLD PRESSED meaning they are made without heat or chemicals.

We only use glass packaging to be more environmentally conscious.

Secondly, as a small business, we empower women first. Most of the suppliers and hands-on help are women.

"I am personally involved in the actual process of making and packing the products to ensure the vision is held to the standard and its true intention, this is my baby after all".

"What sets Khosikazi Selfcare apart from other brands is the earthy and spiritual undertone to it, we want to encourage people to start practicing these self-cleansing and loving bath rituals. “loving thy self”

What has been the highlights of your Selfcare brand thus far? “The highlight of the brand firstly is finally launching it online and most recently being able to place it in-store at Edenvinne, the first beauty store to house local brands.”

When not busy pushing the brand – what do you do to keep sane? "When not busy building the brand, I'm constantly grounding myself and focusing on my ascension journey. I'm deeply spiritual so it comes with ease to centre myself and fill my cup again. I 100% advocate against toxic productivity, we are not just here to work, we came here to live, experience and enjoy life. “I enjoy the pleasure of doing nothing”

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By: Ashley Ndliwayo

Ayoung entrepreneur speaks his heart out on his passion for clothing, while giving a brief overview into the establishment of his business, Outfit Archive. Before we get started, please share full name and surname of the founder of Outfit Archive, place of birth and current place of residence. Also, mention any of your Mzansi favorite brand and why that brand? “I am Success Mathekga, born and raised in Pretoria. I am currently residing in Mamelodi and my favorite Mzansi brand is Layback garments because of its simplicity”.

When did

commence with Outfit Archive and what inspired you to start your own clothing brand? “It was back in 2020, on the 20th of May when Outfit Archive commenced. The inspiration came in 2015 when I was still doing my grade 8 in Hoerskool Staatspresident C.R Swart. There is a guy who was known as Lethabo, he is actually the founder of Layback garments and he started his own brand that year. I was surrounded by friends who came from stable families where they provided them with almost to everything they wanted, for example expensive clothes and etc".

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“We may encounter many defeats, but we must not be defeated”

"I loved clothes but because l came from a decent family, I could not get that type of privilege. I first saw Lethabo draw the logo on the wall at school so that is where it all started. I told myself that l want to be like this guy but because I did not have the knowledge and experience of branding so I could not start my own, I remember in 2018 when I went to his studio to check if he could do beanies for me, he was not around by then so l was patient enough to wait for him to come back, then I presented my first brand which was ‘CHEMICAL SPILL’ and asked if he could at least make five beanies for me, he graciously agreed to help me but insisted that I should come up with something better than what I had. I went home disappointed but at the same time I was motivated but because I was ignorant, I went to other brand owners and they helped with the beanies. Months went by and business was very slow. I would get two orders in 4 months and I ended up giving people free merchandise hoping for the better but still nothing happened. I decided to get back to my drawing board, 2 years down the line (May 2020) I came up with name ‘OUTFIT ARCHIVE’. I contacted Lethabo via WhatsApp and asked if he could print for me, sent him my logos and he agreed. I bought stock and went to the studio, I presented the brand, he was impressed and also give me pointers and suggestions on how to make it better, 2 days later he then texted me to come collect my printed orders. A week later boom merchandise sold out, and it was during winter by then. I was so excited because orders kept on coming day by day, even today people are still ordering. I’m still inspired by his work as well as GALXBOY”

Why the name Outfit Archive, and what do you want it to communicate to the public?

“The word archive means a collection of historical documents or records providing information about a place, institution or group of people. Therefore, Outfit Archive resembles a couple of memories that I have with certain outfits. When it comes to communicating the brand: We are trying to make personal interactions with customers because it is important to make customers feel like they matter to the business that they are dealing with. Hence, when sending messages to them, I do not use scripted responses. I pay attention to what they are saying, be empathetic and tailor the response to their specific request because doing so will most likely give them a positive impression and make them likely to use my business another time. "At times customers are faced with problems they know will take time to be resolved, however they just want their voices to be heard and complaints to be listened to. It is advisable to listen to them, express that their frustration is completely understood, and politely suggest the best solutions to the problem at hand”.

What are some of the challenges you faced when you started with Outfit Archive and how did you overcome these? “Imitation and product counterfeiting, capital distribution, competition and unforeseen business expenses have been my major challenges. Overcoming these, firstly I had to prevent people from counterfeiting my products in the first place".

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Ravi Naidoo, CEO of PMP Germ Guard

Responsible Tourism Practice

The tourism industry is the most critical and economy driver of every town, province and country around the world. The industry and it’s offerings is what people always fall onto whenever they feel like a break from work pressure, feel disconnected with the daily lives, and sometimes feel ill from inside. It is mostly believed that traveling has some sense of healing, that sense of reconnecting with the world while relaxing and refreshing at the same time. With that being, in reality we all expect to find ourselves when traveling and touring the country and we deserve safe facilities with all necessary measures to safeguard us. PMP Germ Guard, a company from Durban exists exactly for such a cause, the intention of developing a tourism sector that is healthresponsive and gives customers the assurance they would be safe wherever they travel.

The company was formed in 2020, by Ravi Naidoo who is the CEO and his wife Pam Naidoo, because -

other than anything else their concern was the health issues and visitor safety measures, especially with the Covid 19 virus that closed a lot of enterprises in the tourism sector. Their business was then built with people’s safety at the back of their minds while generating revenue.

We chat to Kagiso, from team PMP Germ Guard to hear more about the life post Covid as the organization, and more about how are they reviving consumer confidence and more, and this is his comment:

In a post-Covid-19 world where social systems in the majority of countries were abrupt, leaving short- and long-term implications that are now difficult to assess, the tourism industry finds itself trying to adapt and recover former glory days.

A new perspective on responsible tourism, which puts its focus on how tourists enjoy healthprotected locations, may be worth examining in light of the pandemic's severity.

Looking at health and safety in tourism consumption could spur change and usher in a postpandemic transformation because for tourism post-Covid-19, a reset on how people enjoy shared places is required. This emphasizes how crucial it is to make operational changes so that we can continue to host tourists in settings that promote health.

Tourism post Covid-19

The Covid-19 pandemic could be viewed not only as a wake-up call for the travel industry, but also an impetus for new, inventive, and creative business strategies. One can trace its contribution to the development of new business models, that will fundamentally determine the industry's chances of survival by changing it into a far more sustainable shape. In a PMP example, the effect of COVID19 is seen as impacting how tourists view the products and services they receive, with the ideal expectations including basic hygienic precautions, sanitation, and sanitary measures to ensure tourists feel comfortable and secure.

Consequently, a travel pack that includes a sanitary lotion, surface spray, and carry-on hand wash liquid was developed in addition to visitor amenities. Click here for full article:

Increase your chances of success in your job search journey.

You’ve just graduated and can’t wait to land that dream job. All that’s left is to get that CV out there and within no time get an interview and be hired? Well, afraid not.

Here’s some scary facts: According to Stats SA’s Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) “results continue to show that youth remain vulnerable in the labour market”. As at Q2 2022, the youth unemployment rate was at 46.5%. Easily, for any job advert on LinkedIn, there are 200+ applicants, and that’s not even entry level jobs. And if predictions of a global recession in 2023 are true, this rate is likely to increase as opportunities in the labour market shrink. So clearly, landing the dream job cannot be left to chance or pursued blindly. A strategic “ game plan” is required to increase chances of success.

Here are some of the top 3 strategies that can help you.

Know yourself:

The disadvantage of this lack often shows up during interviews and one is unable to sell themselves to the panel, thinking their qualifications and skills speak for them. Sadly, this doesn’t instil confidence to your audience. So spend time to introspect with these questions:

Who am I?

What are my strengths & weaknesses? What motivates me, what do I enjoy, which environment or activity inspires me?

What are my natural skills & talent that align with the job I want?

Do the homework and you will be better able to answer that dreaded “tell us about yourself” question. There are many questionnaires and tools to aid this, find one that suits your needs and you will gain more self-knowledge and awareness.

Know your Career Anchor: The qualification proves you ’ ve met requirements but doesn’t say much about where you can add value in your industry. As a young person, maybe just getting a job is the priority. But knowing your anchor will ensure synergy of your natural skills & talents, technical skills/knowledge and roles you pursue. This ensures your career progression is firmly in your hands, and guides choices you make for your future.

What are career anchors? These are “characteristics of a role, job or career that align with an individual’s underlying perception of their values, talent, skills, motives, needs and attitudes” (www.worldofwork.io). Being equipped with a better understanding of your career anchor will help you make informed decisions, know what you want, and go towards it.

Know what employers are looking for: Ask any talent acquisition/HR person and they’ll tell you about talent and organizational fit. Ask any agency and they’ll tell you they source talent for clients, and not look for jobs for people contrary to popular belief. In many adverts, there will be certain skills and attributes required. How do you fare against them? There’s also what’s known as employability skills, which is defined as “ a set of achievements, skills, understandings and personal attributes that make graduates likely to gain employment” (www.futurelearn.com). Do you have them? What about emotional intelligence, which relates to being aware and able to manage oneself, and aware and able to influence others. It can really be challenging to wrap your head around all these concepts. Spend time researching these and recent trends in your industry, peruse recent adverts, ask for mentorship and guidance. As time goes, you will find the job search and building your career not such a daunting exercise.

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Stock screener: Introduction

Astock screener is a useful software program that can be used to screen stocks. The software analyzes the company ' s financial information and filters them according to your inputs. You can set them to filter various criteria such as price, volume, volatility, market cap, price-to-book, net profit and other factors.

Why would you want to use a stock screener in the first place?

Well, there are quite a lot companies that are publicly listed, and it would take a long time to do through research for every single one of them when deciding which companies to invest in. A screener can help you narrow your search to companies that meet your minimum requirements so that instead of having go through the entire listed stocks list, you only have a handful of companies to research and determine whether they are worth investing in or not.

What’s the caveat though?

Stock screeners are not sufficient, they are just a starting point. You can't blindly invest in stocks that you find through a stock screener. You must know what criteria to use when picking stocks and you must know how to analyze stocks if you want to be successful with investing.

Once you have a list of companies that you ’ re interested in, do some more research on them. To get a clearer understanding of each of the filtered stocks, you can do the following:

1. Make sure to examine the company ’ s financial statements and their latest earnings report. If you are comfortable with reading these documents, then review them in detail.

2. If not, there are plenty of websites that provide analysis on earnings reports (for example, SimplyWallstreet).

3. Since they are publicly traded, they will also have investor relations sections on their website that provides information about their business model and plans for growth.

4. Search for news articles related to these companies and their industry. The most important advice is to take your time, do not rush the process of finding a company to invest in.

Note that the minimum profit I set is 0, because I’m not looking for companies that have negative profit. After inputting all the filters, we receive the list of stocks below that satisfy our requirements:

Let’s get practical: Below is an example of a screening I did using the Investing.com stock screener. I screened for low-cap companies with a low price-to-book and high revenue:

From here, you would take your research on the stocks to a more in-depth level with the steps outlined above.

You can do it:

In this article, I provided the building blocks for a stock screener. To use it, you first have to define your own criteria - and no, being lazy and copying mine won't count. Then, plug those criteria into the screener. You're now left with a list of stocks that meet not just one standard, but several.

by: Afrika Kesho

Article

Only the prepared will make it to the other side.

n the history of great sportsmanship, business leaders or winners in any aspect of life, and on our real day to day experiences, it has been evident that we will always need to do a few or more basic important measures that prepares us to conquer all the mountains on our journey to success. Whether it’s gym, study, practice and all other relevant forms of preparations, there will always be your side of action which is required to achieve any goal at hand.

Many of us think that preparation is somewhat for the already established or almost great individuals in the world, because we associate preparation with people with the best work ethic or the best attitude amongst others. Little did we know that for those we look at and think they are almost there or they are already achieving stuff, they have also started in demotivated states, they have also gone through depression but they have started by finding basic ways that prepares them to come out of their dark zones – and that do not require any heavy movement, any money but the change and the right mindset.

One would ask, how do I even begin with change and the right mindset? The answer is SIMPLE, there is nothing easy to start, without being willing to start with it. To start creating change and the right mindset one has to willingly accept that they need change, accept that they need the right mindset, then start by asking people with good change and the right mindset to walk the journey with you. And on top of it all, if we want change and the right mindset we do not have to start going to the gym, start reading motivational books and etc, but we need a different kind of thinking.

Think of what could happen if we start to prepare our daily activities, think of what could happen if we can start saving money, think of what could happen if we train our minds to be strong, and from just thinkingone can visualize the end goal, and when we see the end goal, then we have to practically start putting our first step towards the goal. Lastly, it will never be easy but it’s already a great achievement to prepare our minds and ourselves for the beautiful things we have filled our minds with.

So whether it’s a CAR, PROPERTY, FINANCIAL BREAKTHROUGH, PARTNER, STUDY – or whatever you want to achieve this year, start by thinking positive about it and practically work on it. It’s possible.

A Particular Time For A Particular Time For A Particular Poet A Particular Poet

By: Ashey Ndliwayo

Literature and storytelling have gone beyond being a mere collection of art forms. Instead they have become teachings and expressions of historical backgrounds of diasporic movements within Africa. Imperatively, the storytelling within literature is a worldwide collection of its own that commit to the native descent and heritage of Africa. Zusakhe Zide is a young poet who thrives in seeing the development of poetry and how young Africans can embrace it not just as literary work but as a legendary embodiment of storytelling. We look into her poetic journey and what she aims to achieve within this stream of work. Please share brief description of yourself and a historical background to introduce yourself to those who may not know you? ‘My name is Zusakhe Zide, I was named towards my destiny. I was meant to water the minds around me with knowledge or observations I’ve made. Rhasatsha is a name I got from my grandparents as they said I was good at whatever I did. I was also good at destroying something if I’m mischievous. I was born in Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha). Whilst growing up, we moved to Gauteng and just as we were settling in, my mother passed away. Therefore, we had to go back to Umtata, where she comes from".

“I grew up with a ‘timing’ from Gqeberha locations, as we stayed in Soweto, KwaZakhele and Booysens Park. I met different people while I was young and having moved and traveled the way we did, I experienced a lot. However, the environment I’d say molded me was the dusty red village Mpafane in Umtata. Nothing was ever convenient there so my life changed in so many ways. I lost touch in the ‘IsiXhosa’ spoken in Gqeberha and learnt high grade isiXhosa. My grandparents spoke in Xhosa riddles and I couldn’t help but wish to understand, so living with them made my vocabulary vast”.

What passionately drove you into poetry? “What drove me to poetry was the fact that my cousin used to take me to the library when I was a toddler. I adapted quickly to reading stories and soon enough it got easy to create them. Again, my mother was a writer that jotted down a few things in her diary every now and then. She had the most perfect way of saying things on paper. I think she might have had an influence on how I write. When I wrote essays, letters or any word assessments that required me to think, I aced them. They were always the epitome of good work”.

What has been your goal as far as literature is concerned? “I’d say I’m looking on compiling an anthology of my most iconic poems, to capture and archive the isiXhosa in them. I also want to venture in writing dramas and novels. I feel like I would produce great twists in a storyline”

I see you also have a creative eye for fashion, what inspires your dressing? My fashion is inspired by Vintage. My grandmother from my father’s side used to wear highly expensive garments thrifted from white women where she was employed for work".

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Skank And The Roots Skank And The Roots Reconciliation Live Reggae Concert in Uitenhage

Skank and the roots, a reggae band which was formed in 1990. It originates in Uitenhage and it is a band that consists of 5 members, namely being Nkenke Mooi, Desmond Dubula, Mkhangeli Matiwane, Deon Manell as well as Frank Barends. In honor of the famously celebrated Day of Reconciliation, the band hosted a Live Reggae Concert on the 14th of December 2022. The Reggae concert took place in The Caledon Guesthouse in Uitenhage.

When asked of challenges they faced while organizing this gathering, the event organizer and representative Matiwane, elaborates that the major challenge was the issue of funding particularly to reggae music in South Africa. He further attests to how music festivals tend to marginalize reggae music in the sense that reggae music bands are hardly seen performing live like kwaito, hip-hop artists, as well as those of other genres. However, the band partnered with the National Art’s Council (NAC) in hosting the live concert. It assisted in the full funding of the entire event.

According to Matiwane, the purpose of this festival was to revive the spirit of reggae because of how it conveys messages that portray the struggles during the apartheid.

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A look into digital transformation in South Africa: Challenges and Opportunities

By: Thami Global

S Challenges of digital transformation in South Africa:

outh Africa is currently on the brink of a digital transformation. This shift is driven by the rising demand for digital services, the need to be competitive in the global market, and the need to increase access to digital technologies. As the country’s digital transformation progresses, there are both challenges and opportunities that must be addressed. On one hand, there are numerous opportunities for businesses and individuals to capitalize on the power of digital technologies. At the same time, South Africa will need to address the digital divide, the lack of digital skills among its citizens, and the need for sufficient infrastructure to enable digital transformation. In this article, we will take a look into digital transformation in South Africa, examining both the challenges and the opportunities that this transformation presents.

There are certain challenges that South Africa will face as it tries to modernize its economy through the process of digital transformation. One of the biggest challenges is the digital divide between those with access to the internet and those without access. Currently, South Africa has a relatively low rate of internet access, especially when compared to other countries in the world.

"Digital transformation presents an opportunity for increased access to services".

There are also huge discrepancies between different segments of the population, with lowerincome individuals having significantly less access to the internet than higher-income individuals. Thus, one of the first challenges of digital transformation will be to bridge the digital divide. Another challenge is the lack of digital skills among the country’s citizens. South Africa has a rather low rate of computer literacy, and many individuals are simply not equipped with the skills they need to thrive in a digital economy.

Thus, digital transformation will also require a focus on building digital skills among South Africans. And finally, there is a need for sufficient infrastructure to enable digital transformation. South Africa has a relatively low rate of internet infrastructure, which means that many areas of the country simply cannot access the internet. This will need to be addressed in order for the country to truly benefit from digital transformation.

Opportunities of digital transformation in South Africa

South Africa also faces a number of opportunities as it progresses through digital transformation. One of the biggest opportunities is the ability to expand services to new markets.

Digital transformation gives South African companies the ability to reach new markets, expanding their services to individuals across the globe. Another opportunity is the potential for increased productivity and efficiency.

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