Event organiser Kinetic has confirmed that industry-giant Performanta has signed on as platinum sponsors for this year’s anticipated 6th edition of their successful flagship event; the IT Leaders Africa Summit.

The event, taking place from 18 - 19 March 2015 at The Maslow Hotel in Johannesburg, is set to go beyond your usual routine business conference, evolving to deliver on a more exciting, topical, trendy and current platform, utilising both the latest technologies coupled with the latest in conference trends internationally.

Together with Performanta, the event aims to deliver an expert-lead agenda that features an educational conference program backed by the latest in technology workshops and demonstrations. 

Performanta’s workshop; Safeguard your organisation now, your wallet will thank you later; focuses on measuring your organisation against the industry on 10 information security and privacy measures, derived from real-world assessments.

Performanta Consulting was established by Anthony Olivier 4 years ago, aligning information security consulting services to the Performanta Technology & Services stable. Performanta Consulting has provided services to primary South African banks, insurance companies, brokers, mining companies, service and retail organisations. Their key differentiator: senior, qualified, experienced consultants, integrated frameworks and fair pricing. Furthermore, the team has assisted in addressing security problems in seventeen African countries and has a thorough understanding of the continental landscape.

As thought-leaders in the industry, they are amongst the most active South African participants in industry conferences, blogs and podcasts.An expert-led advisory panel will lead the summit with industry giants Robert Sussman, co-founder and joint-CEO of Integr8; Hugo Timmerman, Head of IT Southern Africa at British American Tobacco; and Tunde Coker, MD of Rack Centre (A Jagal Group Company).

The event also features over 35 speakers, keynotes, panel discussions and numerous educational workshop sessions hosted by key industry providers, all sessions led by some of today’s most notable individuals who are shaping the IT landscape in South Africa and beyond.

Speakers, just to name a few, include; David Visser, CIO of Coca-Cola Southern Africa; Anthony Hlungwane, Group IT Director of Mr Price Group; Sal Laher, CIO Eskom; Rocky Gwewera, Global Head of Infrastructure Architecture at Sasol; Stephan Ekbergh, CEO and founder of Travelstart; and Sunil Joshi, MD and CEO of Neotel.

Some sponsors and partners include; Telkom Business, HP, Performanta and Blue Coat Systems, SITA, Airwatch, Kofax, Dimension Data, Neotel, Meso Systems, Sage Pastel Accounting and ERP Africa, and Blackberry.

For more information on the event to register to attend or to sponsor, visit www.itleaders.co.za or contact the event organisers Kinetic on +27 21 180 4700.Follow the event and stay up to date on Twitter. @ITLeadersAfrica and join in on the conversation using #ITLAfrica.

Bryce Biggs is one of four speakers featured at the PCB workshop on Business 2020 that takes place on 24 and 25 March 2015. The workshop on the 24th is aimed at start-ups, while that that on the 25th is for established businesses.

Speakers (Dr Clive Coetzee, Dr Leon Grové, Dr Rob Smorfitt, and Bryce) will tailor their messages each day to meet the needs of the two audiences. On the 24th, Bryce will focus on business opportunities resulting from current digital disruption as well as on what you need to do to create a viable business model. On the 25th, he will focus on how one maximises the market/sale value of your business and whether or not your business model is likely to endure until 2020.  

Bryce says “The list of businesses and professions that is currently being disrupted or is about to be disrupted –often on a massive scale - is a long one. It includes education, health, manufacturing, retail, security, and transport. Two examples of disruption from the health field: In the USA one of the highest paid medical professions - anaesthesiology - is currently in the early stages of being replaced by machines (e.g. Sedasys from J&J). At present, this replacement is only in certain routine procedures. Also in the health field - a recent blood-testing innovation is set to disrupt a major (highly profitable) health service sector. The innovation comes from a business owned by a 31-year old who is the wealthiest self-made woman billionaire in the world (she is worth $4.5 billion according to Forbes). In both these cases of disruption, patients (and medical aids) stand to save significantly.

New business models are developing every day. Businesses that lock into previously tried and tested business models run the risk of being eliminated in the next 5 to 10 years”.  

The good news for small business according to Bryce? If you can survive the increasingly litigious and regulated business environment, you may be able to leap ahead of established competitors. This is because you are not emotionally, financially, and/or intellectually invested in an existing – often failing – business model.

Bryce Biggs of Bryce Biggs Consulting is coordinating the Business 2020 workshops on behalf of the PCB. For more details on the workshops, which will take place at the Chamber offices in Pietermaritzburg, contact Lorna Jones on 033 345 2747 or at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Dr Clive Coetzee, KZNs “go-to-guy” if you want to know where the economy is heading regionally or internationally will be speaking at two back-to-back Pietermaritzburg Chamber of Business (PCoB), Business 2020 workshops, on 24 and 245 March. Clive is General Manager:  Infrastructure Management and Economic Services for the KZN Provincial Treasury, a position he has held for the past seven years.

People interested in the shape of things to come eagerly await their monthly email from Clive where he provides a crisp and thoughtful analysis of the provincial economy and where it is heading. His PhD, published in 2012, clearly shows where his interests lie – “A Research Approach to Keeping Informed of and Monitoring Local Economic Conditions: A Kwazulu-Natal Case Study”.

Clive has lectured for three Universities and a number of private training institutions and is an in-demand speaker on topics related to the economy. He is a prolific writer on his topic with over 20 papers delivered at conferences and 30 working papers published.

Clive will be talking on likely growth areas and sectors in the first Business 2020 workshop on the 24th. This workshop is aimed at start-ups or recently established businesses. On the 25th, the workshop is aimed at established businesses. Here Clive will be placing greater emphasis on the economic climate existing businesses can expect to face moving forward to 2020.

Bryce Biggs of Bryce Biggs Consulting is coordinating the workshops on behalf of the PCoB. For more details on the workshops, which will take place at the Chamber offices in Pietermaritzburg, contact Lorna Jones on 033 345 2747 or at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Held on 18 February at Emperor’s Palace, Johannesburg, the Conference was attended by members of First National Bank, Nedbank, PASA, attorneys’ firms, the Consumer Profile Bureau and many others. Also in attendance were the Banking Ombudsman, Clive Pillay and Credit Intel Key Accounts Manager, Bennett Baloyi.

With each passing day, the debt collection industry awaits the promulgation of the notorious National Credit Amendment Bill; most notable for a proposed ban on the collection and sale of prescribed debt, which will see many debt collectors either close down completely or take significant financial knocks. Michael Shackleton spoke on the Bill and suggested that the proper implementation of the already existent National Credit Act would strike a fair balance between promoting the business of legal credit lenders and protecting debtors from unscrupulous lenders.

Shackleton also indicated that the NCAB will create greater regulation under which credit providers will have to operate, at a time when reduced regulation and the cutting of bureaucratic red tape is necessary to reduce unemployment and to cause small companies to thrive. Small companies are the engine of job creation in Gauteng.

Marina Short, CEO of the Consumer Profile Bureau, delivered an outstanding speech on regulatory data and the credit market. She is somewhat of an authority regarding credit and she genuinely provided valuable insights to all the attendees.

FutureSoft CEO, Peter Rafferty, spoke on the prescription of debt whilst advocate Hannelie Gray talked on emolument attachment orders.

Thav Reddy, Head of Compliance at Nedbank’s MFC division, educated attendees on how to manage the implementation of the Protection of Personal Information Act.

Marie Smit, Compliance Manager at PASA, suggested measures on how to increase the security of payments, something which is surely on the mind of all, considering the technological developments of the present day and the so-called “scam artists” living by fraudulent means within the Republic of South Africa.

Leon Townsend delivered an incredible and interactive speech concerning strategies to limit fraud. He is Executive Director at Censeo and a Certified Fraud Examiner. His organisation assists credit providers to assess which debtors to provide loans to by determining which prospective debtors are the most prone to commit fraud.

The conference was chaired by Credit Intel Senior Legal Executive Michael Shackleton, who is well known as a leading attorney in debt collection.

It was a highly educational and thought provoking Conference which Credit Intel was glad to be part of. Credit Intel prides itself on professional service and seeks to become the authoritative voice on debt collection in South Africa. Being invited to present and give inputs at Conferences such as these indicates that many people are turning to Credit Intel as an authority on debt collection.

SA Airways, along with Finnair, has been awarded IEnvA stage two recognition as a result of its environmental sustainability standards and practices.

Johannesburg, South Africa – This week,South AfricanAirways (SAA) became one of only two global carriers (alongside Finnair) to achieve Stage 2 status of the IATA Environmental Assessment Programme (IEnvA); a comprehensive airline environmental management programme.

IEnvA seeks to introduce sustainability standards that cover all areas of an airline’s operations including air quality and emissions, noise, fuel consumption and efficient operations, recycling, energy efficiency, sustainable procurement, biofuels, and many more. SAA was also one of six airlines to participate in the initial phase (Stage 1) of the programme in June 2013.  

IEnvA is a stringent environmental assessment programme that is based on recognised international environmental management systems such as ISO 14001. It was jointly developed by leading airlines and environmental consultants. SAA has been part of the process from the programme’s genesis and currently chairs the IEnvA Oversight Working Group.   

SAA conducted its Stage 2 assessment in record time, six months prior to the two year deadline. “Participation in the programme and this achievement affirms SAA’s commitment to answering its dual mandate and as a leading African and global airline,” says SAA Acting CEO Mr Nico Bezuidenhout. The IEnvA standards will serve as guidelines for 240 other airlines around the world.   

SAA’s participation in the programme forms part of the <i>Long-Term Turnaround Strategy</i> with a dual mandate focus. Last year, the airline launched the first African biofuels project, which focused on the transformation of tobacco oil into jet fuel, with sector role players. “Responsible environmental management has the potential to deliver commercially beyond the clear social and environmental benefit. Projects such as the tobacco biofuels venture could provide several future commercial impetus ranging from input cost benefits through to the value of technology,” adds Mr Bezuidenhout.  

The initiative was followed by the introduction of new fuel efficient navigation approaches (RNP-AR: Required Navigational Performance, Authorisation Required). “The enhanced aircraft approaches’ fuel savings provide immediate bankable fuel savings.” Inside the organisation there is also an on-going drive to embed a culture of environmental sustainability with policy directing the airline toward ultimate emission reduction leadership in both continental and global aviation industries.  

SA Airways plans to continue demonstrating its commitment to its mandate concomitant to the carrier’s environmental programme. “IEnvA is a robust programme that effectively cuts through the complexities of the aviation sector. It is inspiring to our staff, a positive step for the industry and attractive to travellers. The initiative will ultimately be good for business and is a step toward ensuring future-proofing of aviation,” says Mr Bezuidenhout.   

Note to journalists:

IEnvA has been developed in conjunction with airlines so that it addresses industry needs and specific concerns. IEnvA assesses environmental performance against sustainability standards across a broad range of disciplines including (but not limited to) the management of air quality and emissions, noise, fuel consumption and operational efficiency, recycling, energy efficiency, sustainable procurement, and biofuel utilisation. As a result, IEnvA helps airlines to simplify regulatory compliance, demonstrate good governance and achieve financial savings by ensuring the better use of resources. IEnvA implementation followed a phased approach due to the complexity and global presence of airlines as well as the number of role players and touch points. There are two implementation phases:  

Stage 1: 

Stage 1 ensures that an airline has developed the foundation and framework for its environmental management system. Stage 1 also certifies that an airline has identified and complied with its environmental legal requirements.   

Stage 2:

IEnvA Stage 2 assessment, the highest level of IEnvA achievement, ensures that an airline has implemented all of the IEnvA Programme Standards, has identified and mitigated its significant environmental impacts and has set performance targets. Stage 2 also certifies that an airline has developed processes for monitoring and reviewing its performance against its targets and objectives, thus driving environmental efficiency.   

About South African Airways (SAA) 

South African Airways (SAA) is the leading carrier in Africa, serving 57 destinations, in partnership with SA Express, SA Airlink and its low cost carrier, Mango, within South Africa and across the continent, and ten intercontinental routes from its Johannesburg hub. It is a member of the largest international airline network, Star Alliance. SAA’s core business is the provision of passenger airline and cargo transport services together with related services, which are provided through SAA and its wholly owned subsidiaries: SAA Technical; Mango its low cost carrier; and Air Chefs, the catering entity of SAA. SAA is the winner of the 'Best Airline in Africa’ Award in the regional category for twelve consecutive years and the winner of ‘Service Excellence Africa’ for three years. Mango and SAA hold the number one and number two successive spots as South Africa’s most on-time airlines.    

Issued by SAA Communications  

For more information, contact:

Tlali Tlali This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Tel: +27 82 333 3880

SMEs in KwaZulu-Natal that are aspiring to boost productivity and growth have a new resource in local businessman Frans Van Rooyen. Small and medium sized companies can access professional business support provided by Frans, who recently joined the prestigious Business Doctors team.

Business Doctors, an award-winning support network that is based in the UK, now has two representatives in South Africa as a result of the growing demand for high-calibre, proactive business support services.

Originally Frans was researching the network to see what Business Doctors could do for his existing company, he was so impressed and was inspired to join them.

“I have a real passion in assisting businesses to improve their turnover, and working with people to help them overcome their barriers towards success,” he said. “Once I learned about what Business Doctors could do, I realised they could assist me in helping other businesses.”

Frans is also a licensee owner and he manages other licensees in South Africa for Brain Gain, a company that supports people to improve their cognitive ability with neurofeedback training.  

Looking forward to working with all kinds of businesses in a variety of sectors, he has previous experience in the motor trade and business brokering, and also brings skills from his experience as a teacher. “The first step for an SME is to get in touch with me and arrange a free Business Doctors health check,” he said. “This will identify strengths and shortcomings, and help design a plan of how Business Doctors can be of assistance.”

Rod Davies, co-founder of Business Doctors, said: “It’s exciting for us that our services are in demand, and that we have people like Frans coming aboard – he brings solid skills to the table and he is genuinely passionate about helping other business people achieve.”

When he’s not at work Frans likes to spend time with his family, especially on camping trips, watching rugby and reading.

Business Doctors’ advice is geared to drive business growth and include strategies for boosting profits, and advice for effective people management, accessing finance, and acquiring other companies.

Frans can be contacted on 079 494 5237. For more information about Business Doctors consultants, visit www.businessdoctors.co.uk.

NOTES TO NEWS DESK

• Image: New Business Doctor Frans van Rooyen Contact Frans on 079 494 5237, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
• Contact Business Doctors head office in the UK on 0845 219 7077
• Press release distributed for Business Doctors by every1 marketing agency

Our ongoing efforts to grow out footprint in South Africa and selected countries are bearing fruit.

At our interim results announcement on February 18, we updated the market on the progress we are making.

Here’s a rundown of what’s in the development works.

In South Africa:

• We fully opened the 149-room City lodge Hotel Waterfall City Hotel at Midrand in February
• The 148-room City Lodge Hotel Newtown (downtown Johannesburg) is well underway and will open before the end of 2015
• The 90-room Road Lodge Pietermaritzburg will commence in February and is scheduled to open in November

Elsewhere in Africa:

• Earthworks are expected to begin in the second quarter of 2015 for the 169-room City Lodge Hotel Two Rivers in Nairobi, Kenya, and for the 147-room City Lodge Hotel Dar es Salaam in Tanzania.
• A financial feasibility study is being conducted into the possible development of a 150-room City Lodge Hotel in Kampala, Uganda.
• A memorandum of understanding (subject to conditions) has been entered into for the possible development of a 140 to 150-room Town Lodge in Windhoek, Namibia
• Negotiations are at an advanced stage for the development of 150 to 160-room City Lodge Hotel in Maputo, Mozambique.

The bottom line is that we will soon have more great locations to meet your business and leisure accommodation needs – both in SA and elsewhere on the continent!

​In partnership with Power Construction, the City of Cape Town and the Western Cape Government Habitat for Humanity is calling on all active citizens to come together and join them in their Desmond Tutu International Build Week in Pelican Park from the 2 – 6 March.  Responding and putting into action the request in the words of their patron Archbishop Desmond Tutu “Do your little bit of good where you are - it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world’.  

Teams from as far afield as the USA and Ireland will be joining the build event together with 18 of  ​Habitat's International Board of Directors from across the 70 countries in which Habitat operates as they have chosen Cape Town as their venue for their Board meeting this year.   Funding provided by the event helps provide valuable funding for Habitat’s Social Facilitation Programme as part of Habitat’s community development work in the Pelican Park project.     

Through their Social Facilitation Programme in partnership with the communities and galvanising the support of active citizens and other stakeholder partners, communities are empowered to take ownership of their communities through leadership, skills development and self-belief to become the champions of their own developments and their communities.  

“Our five-year goal through our community development process is to meaningfully transform the lives of at least 100, 000 fellow South Africans living in communities across South Africa.  Help us achieve this by joining our team build event, helping to build homes, communities and hope” said Adrienne Burke, Habitat’s Marketing Manager.  If you or your company are interested in getting involved contact Habitat’s Head Office on 021 657 5640.    

Editors notes

Founded in 1996, Habitat for Humanity South Africa is the national organisation of Habitat for Humanity International and part of Habitat’s Europe, Middle East and African region. Habitat South Africa is entirely self-funded and works in partnership with all stakeholders to serve the poor and marginalised in our country. Based on the firm belief that decent shelter provides the greatest opportunity for families to break the cycle of poverty, Habitat works with all people to give a hand up in building homes, communities and hope.    

This press release has been distributed on behalf of our client, Habitat for Humanity South Africa.  

With the recent volatility of the price of fuel in South Africa, many South Africans find themselves not knowing whether to fill up sooner rather than later, and a misstep could easily cost you over R100. FillApp is a locally developed app, by TouchFoundry, that solves this problem. It’s designed for the person on the go and is easy to setup and use. There is no registration required or pesky ads and its minimalist design tells you only what you need to know.

Once FillApp knows how big your car’s fuel tank is and what fuel you use, it will send a gentle reminder each month informing you of the fuel price change, how much you’ll save and whether you should fill up before or after the change (depending if it’s a price increase or decrease) – that simple. And the best part is: Its 100% FREE

“The aim here was to develop something simple, intuitive and unobtrusive” says co-creator Fabio Longano. “Apps have become an integral part of our lives, but many of them don’t take the consumer into account. FillApp has been designed to fit seamlessly into your day-to-day, empowering locals to save money.”

FillApp uses information available on agency and government websites to predict prices changes. Co-creator Lance Jenkin says that there is a lot of publicly accessible information that isn't necessarily 'accessible' as per say, to the public. “Every-day-people aren't able to access this data efficiently and conveniently when they need to. So we did the time, crunched the code and came out with an elegant product that will hopefully add a touch of convenience to everyone’s lives”

Available for free on both Apple and Android devices here:

Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/app/id954377930

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.touchfoundry.fillapp

Founded in 2012 TouchFoundry aims to fill the gap in the market by merging the complexity of code with the artistry of digital to craft exciting, immersive and delightful media. They provide offerings in Mobile Apps, Touchscreen Software, Motion tracking Software, Social media integration and Analytics & Reporting

Website: www.fillapp.co.za

Knysna, Western Cape, South Africa, December 2014 - The 2014 December Holiday season is upon us and Locals from the Garden Route, South Africa are ready for the annual influx of visitors to the area.

“We are looking forward to a busy season” says local crafter, Lisa Clark, of Shining Things “With the ‘Support Local’ culture bigger than ever we think that people are finally starting to realise that by supporting local they are improving the lifestyles of everyone in their community, including themselves.”

Clark is right about the effects of supporting local business. When you buy local produce you keep money circulating in your community. Rather than sending it off to big, internationally owned corporations, you are  making sure it gets back into the hands of the people around you. When your local crafters and producers in turn support local themselves the entire community benefits.

In this way the level of wealth in your area rises – which is always a good thing. It inevitably trickles down the food chain – making for more tax paying citizens, better public services and a lower crime rate.   When you buy from an independently owned market, like the Scarab market in Sedgefield, you are also guaranteed authenticity and a quality product – because the organisers want only the best produce on their markets, so they have regulations in place. So not only are you supporting local, but you are likely to be getting a better product for your money.

Eco-friendly shopping. For the most part local and hand crafted goods are exactly that – hand crafted. That means that they are less likely to be manufactured in large factories. They have been created somewhere close to where they are being sold – so less transport is needed. The cumulative effect is a lower carbon footprint and higher economic value. Basically it’s good all round.

Every summer SA’s coastal towns enjoy playing host to visitors from all over the country when friends and families come from far and wide to enjoy the natural attractions. If every holiday maker spends R100 on locally produced goods this summer – it could have outstanding effects for the smaller, tourist driven areas.

Related Articles:
Contact:
Ivan Kier
email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
website: www.shiningthings.co.za
visit the stall at:
Knysna Tourism building,
Knysna Main road (December 2014)
Scarab Market,
N2 Sedgfield (Saturdays all year long)