BigFive Summit is coming to Cape Town from 13–15 May 2019, featuring headline talks and workshops that will challenge thinking, stimulate ideas and offer practical advice for those with the common goal of bringing to market digital solutions for SMEs throughout Africa & The Middle East.

BigFive Summit is the ideal networking and knowledge-sharing hub for media and technology companies, digital agencies, influential thought leaders, as well as disruptive startups and entrepreneurs across the Africa/Middle East (AME) digital tech ecosystem. The Summit’s agenda and content is constructed around the cornerstone pillars that support the local digital commerce ecosystem — Search, Social, Mobile, Location, and Payments.  

BigFive Summit is open to anyone seeking to play an active role in advancing SME participation via digital marketing, productivity improvement, transactional ecommerce, and back-office efficiency.

The event will highlight the enormous opportunities and challenges associated with bringing to market digital media and cloud-based business efficiency solutions for local merchants.

“In recent years, as a direct consequence of the explosive growth in smartphone adoption, literally millions of African & Middle Eastern consumers are experiencing the online world for the first time,” comments Thabo Seopa, Co-Founder and Chairman of BigFive Digital. “We created BigFive Digital to serve and support the growing community of media, mobile, technology and software companies who are providing the infrastructure that allows local SMEs to participate in this digital revolution.”

BigFive Summit ultimately sets out to promote and sustain the local commerce ecosystem by sharing best-practice and knowledge across topics of mutual interest, for the purpose of fostering mutually beneficial partnerships and business development opportunities. Attendance at BigFive Summit will provide delegates with ample opportunities for networking and business development.

“It is very much our intention to provide a platform for market-leading African & Middle Eastern media, marketing and technology vendors to learn, share and collaborate with their regional and global peers,” says Paul Plant, BigFive Digital’s Director of Operations. “We seek to build a multi-national community of like-minded companies who share our passion and objectives for helping local business owners to benefit from the digital economy.”

BigFive Summit will take place at Workshop 17 at the V&A Waterfront, in Cape Town from 13-15 May 2019.

For more information and to register as a delegate, visit www.bigfivedigital.org/summit

For speaking opportunities, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Or to exhibit or sponsor at BigFive Summit, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

-- ENDS --

For more information on BigFive Digital or this press release, please contact: Mika Stanvliet | +27 (0) 81 534 6237 | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

RubiBlue, intelligent business solutions provider, has developed a digital solution that transforms membership management for organisations. easiClique is a customisable software platform that allows companies across multiple industries to effectively control all aspects of membership from communications to reporting to invoicing to notifications, and more. It simplifies how organisations, NGOs and government bodies build, maintain and access their members.

“easiClique provides comprehensive reporting, annual comparisons, mass communications, efficient and secure membership fee management, and a clear audit trail,” says Chris Ogden, MD, RubiBlue. “Organisations across multiple industries – sports and professional associations, societies, alumni, political parties and unions – can tailor the application to allow for greater control of members and their data.”

The easiClique platform includes numerous features that can be used to effectively engage with existing and potential members of an organisation such as online applications, personalised member communications, automated notifications and easy payment options. It’s capable of generating comprehensive reports on member data, annual analytics and revenue while also easing the management of financial transactions with automated bulk invoicing.

It is flexible and can be customised to suit industry and brand.  In addition to features that are specifically designed to enhance member engagement and management, easiClique has built-in security features to mitigate the risk of fraud. It audits all transactions and it allows for consumers a variety of payment options - all retail stores, debit orders, and card and cash payments.

The solution assures organisations and members of increased transparency into membership administration.

To find out more about easiClique and how it can transform member management for your business visit www.rubiblue.com, call +27 (0) 861 48 48 99, or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..  

Park Square, uMhlanga’s newest business and lifestyle development is due to open its doors in November 2018. Interfacing beautifully with its surrounds, the development offers a future-forward, people-centred destination where the surrounding communities and professionals can shop, work and connect. Hunt PR’s Melanie Rosettenstein connected with Jarryd Murray, MAP Architects Director and co-founder, to get the inside track on the vision to create a connected community through this new building.

When in 2015 Jarryd Murray and Charles Taylor, director’s at MAP Architects and his team were approached by Nedbank to design a space that would accommodate their KwaZulu-Natal team, the brief was to create a structure which would allow the easy flow of people through the development but also accommodate a 17,500m² space to house their staff in addition to general commercial and retail space.

Having grown up on the KwaZulu-Natal north coast, Jarryd loves the great outdoors and has witnessed the area’s urban transformation over the years. Passionate about creating dynamic urban spaces in our landscape, it’s no wonder that on designing Park Square, he has designed a space that responds perfectly to Durban’s climate and at the same time will be a connected urban landmark on the uMhlanga Ridge.

After spending some time pinning down the vision, Jarryd and his team set about conceptualising an off-the-ground design that would see the commercial elements ‘hovering’ above a perfectly activated retail arcade and square which people could use for shopping and simply enjoying the city’s unique, outdoor lifestyle. The idea to create a connected community which would simultaneously be an exceptional business destination for professionals to work and socialise and a dynamic urban space to activate the local community, was born.

The emphasis at Park Square is undoubtedly on transparency. The simple and modular building design features raw concrete slabs, steel beams, generous concrete overhangs and glassed infills. Column placements, exposed ramps and staircases are optimised to allow for easy foot traffic flow throughout the building. “Even though Park Square has them, our brief was for the design to discourage people from using the elevators,” says Jarryd.

The development’s 36,000m² commercial element is housed on the perimeter of its upper floors and features its own rooftop which is punctuated with over 100 planters to be filled with indigenous landscaping. Abundant space to sit and take a break or meet informally is available to effectively take the office outside and into nature for the benefit of workers. “Here professionals can use the outside spaces to relax and unplug. All the offices are just a short walk from each other and this underpins the connected nature of this business community,” says Jarryd.

Nedbank’s space features a double volume lobby, a vertical garden and is open to people moving in and around the building. While the development’s western side is open and multi-levelled, the eastern side which faces the CJ Saunders Park is mostly glass. Jarryd remarks, “We wanted to create something unique on the park side which gives back to the surroundings. By using timeless glass, the beautiful KwaZulu-Natal light reflects off the building in a sensitive and ever-changing manner.”

More than 3,500m² in size, the generous open square features an amphitheatre, grassed spaces and substantially-sized planters with Fig trees that will ultimately grow to create a lush and shady canopy over the square.

The retail section opens onto the square which means shops and restaurants are easily accessible to the square as an extension of their premises. Linear directional paving channels people through the building’s elements linking with the surrounding buildings and amenities such as the CJ Saunders Park, Gateway Theatre of Shopping and a proposed nearby GO!Durban Integrated Rapid Transport Network stop. The square’s paving is more static and encourages people to stop and use the common break areas like benches and incidental grassy areas. Murray comments, “This space is not overly designed and has been left open, dynamic and versatile for people to use in a way which comes naturally to them.”

The retail section, approximately 4,500m2 in size, includes the Retail Arcade, the development’s main artery which seamlessly links the open square on the western side with the CJ Saunders Park on the eastern side. The arcade’s orientation allows you to see the park through the main building. The connection between the two elements is framed by the park’s trees and those on the square to bring natural elements closer. Murray says, “There are no dead ends within the building which reinforces the easy flow of people through the different sections.”

170 covered retail parking bays and approximately 50 street parking bays ensure ease of access. Among others, the confirmed tenants include a new concept Spar and Tops, Armitage Gent’s Boutique, Seattle Coffee and Mike’s Kitchen. Sergeant Coffee, Hello Hunny, The Eye Gallery, Eazi Laundromat, Pizza Hut, Medstone Pharmacy and PostNet also form part of the tenant mix that can be found at Park Square.

The 1,500m² top tier Spar will feature a 150m² Tops with whisky-tasting. Showcasing a unique aviation theme and even a reception desk, this is a brand-new concept for Durban where shoppers will enjoy a highly convenient and super trendy shopping experience. Jarryd says, “This on-trend, interactive retail experience is exactly what we envisioned when we designed Park Square. Together with our other retailers, the well-considered retail mix means that professionals and the local community won’t have to shop anywhere else.”

Responding to Durban’s warm, outdoor climate, Park Square’s open design reveals the human activity taking place within the development. The result is a visibly connected, integrated and open community where people can come together in a vibrant, urban space. While final construction continues at great pace to complete the development, Murray concludes, “We look forward to presenting this landmark development to the community as we are sure it will be a place that everyone can enjoy and benefit from.”

Visit www.parksquare.co.za to find out more.

Rapid technological advancements have gifted people with the ability to redefine their work lives. Saying goodbye to the nine-to-five, many professionals around the world are now untethered from their desks, able to work remotely from anywhere and at any time thanks to WIFI, smartphones and a whole host of other tech savvy tools. The benefits of this work method have been lauded for increasing productivity and work-happiness in employees. While it seems work may have left the building, companies and employees are still in need of future-forward spaces to connect, collaborate and share ideas.

As a result, many office developments are responding to this need by providing considered work environments that emphasize openness, transcend the idea of the daily grind and encourage a healthy work life balance in campus-style and community orientated spaces.In a 2017 article for Director, Monica Parker a behaviourist and founder of organizational change consultancy, Hatch, whose clients include Microsoft, Deloitte and the BBC says, “People always need a place to come together, and while coffee shops are great, people still like to have a place they can call a work home. I don’t think work has left the building – there is still that communal driver.”Today, companies are understanding more and more the importance of nurturing productivity through the significant benefits of open and flexible office environments. These benefits include creativity, knowledge sharing, teamwork and coordination. While Google, Apple and various other tech advanced companies have been operating like this for decades already, South Africa is just beginning to ride the crest of the flexible and open work wave.

Cue Park Square, Nedbank’s iconic R1billion mixed-use office and retail development located within uMhlanga’s New Town Centre and thriving commercial hub. Bordering the popular CJ Saunders Park and featuring innovative commercial and retail offerings, Park Square with its considered restaurants, shops and coffee bars will offer a connected work culture incorporating a unique leisure offering seamlessly linked to a vibrant and open urban square.  The Four Star Green Star-rated building, due for completion in October this year, includes 36 000m² of commercial space, 4 000m² of retail and an impressive 3 500m² open public piazza. Furthermore, it’s easily accessible to pedestrians, offers abundant parking and is close to a GO!Durban Integrated Rapid Public Transport Network (IRPTN) stop. Ken Reynolds, Nedbank Property Finance Divisional Executive, property expert and Director of Nedport Developments, a subsidiary of Nedbank and Park Square’s developers says, “Projects like Park Square are effectively turning the South African urban planning paradigm around.

This innovative and connected space encourages people to think beyond the boardroom, take time to unplug and to connect with one another. By similarly drawing the surrounding communities for shopping and relaxing, the overall effect is a sociable, communal space that emphasises a convenient and balanced work life experience.” Park Square has already secured a series of high profile tenants including Nedbank, Spar and the IBV International Vaults.

Spar Marketing Manager, Travis Anderson says, “Customers no longer want to shop in large centres. They want the convenience of parking, walking straight into the building, doing their shop and walking straight out. We love Park Square because of its convenient location in a fast-developing area and its proximity to the CJ Saunders park which will allow us extra exposure as we piggy back off activities held there.” Reynolds says, “If you can imagine your day like this; arrive at work with your barista-made coffee in hand, in a reusable mug of course, use the morning for planning and responding to mails followed by a quick jog around the park at lunch, tuck into an artisanal deluxe sandwich bought from the Spar then attend afternoon meetings and drinks in the Square with your new client? Then you have imagined a day at Park Square.” Not forgetting profitability, a positive work environment increases productivity and in turn can have a significant impact on a company’s success. A reduction in staff downtime having amenities within walking distance of employee’s desks also reduces stress, as well as the lunch-hour rush with staff being able to avoid having to leaving the campus for their various requirements – from healthcare to lunch and even a spot of recreational shopping. Reynolds says, “Park Square offers mutual benefit for the employer and the employees with its unique commercial and lifestyle aspects. This world-class destination offers a win-win situation for both, where staff benefit by working in an open, future-forward environment and companies reap the rewards on their bottom line,” he concludes.  

To explore investment opportunities, contact Samantha Stewart (082 903 0828/ This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) or visit: www.parkquare.co.za to find out more.

Movidius™ Neural Compute Stick, a tiny fan-less deep-learning hardware that can be used to learn AI programming at the edge 

Johannesburg, South Africa, 4 August 2017 - RS Components (RS), the trading brand of Electrocomponents plc (LSE:ECM), the global distributor for engineers, introduces the Intel® Movidius™ Neural Compute Stick (NCS), which is the newest development tool for ultra-low-power deep-learning inference. The tool enables developers to develop and prototype artificial intelligence (AI) applications to a broad range of devices at the edge in a convenient USB form factor. 

Targeting developers, corporate R&D and academic researchers working in machine-learning and data-science applications, the Neural Compute Stick integrates the Movidius™ Vision Processing Unit (VPU), which offers best-in-class power efficiency and is capable of running high-performance floating-point Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs).  Supporting the popular Caffe Deep Neural Network (DNN) framework, the Neural Compute Stick is ideal for use as a development tool for neural network prototyping and acceleration.

The USB-form-factor inference engine enables developers and researchers to free their projects from the Cloud and allow them to learn quickly about the performance and accuracy of their neural network applications running in the real world. Neural network projects can be quickly ported via the Movidius™ Neural Compute Compiler to run real-time deep-learning inference on the compact USB stick. Enabling the acceleration of existing compute-constrained platforms, the NCS enables deep-learning R&D and prototyping on a Linux laptop or any x86-based host device.

In addition, the Neural Compute Platform API allows user applications to run on an embedded host, which can initialise the target platform, load a graph file and offload inferences. Support for the NCS will also be extended in the future to include other platforms such as the Raspberry Pi. The complete list of software tools available in the Movidius™ Neural Compute Software Development Kit includes the Movidius™ Neural Compute toolkit and the Movidius™ Neural Compute API. These tools are available online on the developer.movidius.com website.  

The Intel Movidius™ Neural Compute Stick is now available from RS Components.

 -Ends-  

About RS Components 

RS Components is the market leader in the high service level distribution of electrical, electronic, mechanical, tools and industrial products. Operating in 26 countries whilst serving a further 100 through third-party distributors, RS serves every sector of industry in the procurement of their products relating to maintenance, repair, operations, low volume production, research and development.   

With over 500 000 products across 2500 leading brands, the company is committed to ensuring that their 1,5 million customers have fast access to a broad, as well as deep range, of products and technologies, all under one roof. RS’s customers, whether ordering single or multiple items, experience a quick, easy, secure, painless and cost effective process. 

The RS catalogue, available at za.rs-online.com, offers full colour pictures with extensive clear product specifications.  Free access to thousands of datasheets ensures the correct product choice.  Order placement is easily facilitated through za.rs-online.com, the call centre, e-mail, fax and trade counter. 

Locally held stock is delivered to customers within 24 hours, and products held internationally, within four to six working days.    

It is proven that departments traditionally spend 80% of their time sourcing products that account for only 20% of their total procurement spend. RS is focussed on reducing the customers “total cost of product ownership” by reducing the need to make multiple calls to various companies to source products, reducing supplier related administration and allowing for the amalgamation as well as consolidation of supplier bases. 

Through this process, procurement efficiency is improved and time is freed up to concentrate on the more important business decisions. 

For more information, please visit the website at za.rs-online.com  

Press Office
Le-andra Olivier
PR and Communications Specialist
RS Components South Africa
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
+27 11 691 9345 

Further information is available via these links:

• Twitter: @rsonline_SA; @DesignSparkRS
• Facebook: facebook.com/rssouthafrica/RS Components on
• LinkedIn - http://www.linkedin.com/company/rscoms 

Relevant Links
RSPro
RS Components South Africa
www.electrocomponents.com
DesignSpark Magazine - http://www.designspark.com 

The August launch of The Docklands, an upmarket apartment block in the highly desired Prestwich Street in De Waterkant, Cape Town comes at just the right time.  

There is a variety of apartments in a number of Cape Town CBD and Foreshore developments currently under construction or about to be released on to the market. However, there is very little stock available in the trendy and cosmopolitan De Waterkant neighbourhood, according to Jayson Sprawson, who will be marketing the new development as part of Tyson Properties Cape Town.   

He says it’s important for those wishing to buy at The Docklands to get in early as those who invest in properties in that neighbourhood seldom sell. 

The apartment block – which includes a variety of one and two bedroomed apartments as well as two 144m² penthouses – has drawn a great deal of interest since construction began late last year.   

Designed by FWJK Developments’ architectural division, it sports an edgy architectural style and comes with luxury interiors. “In short, The Docklands fills a long-standing gap in the Cape Town real estate market for stylish, contemporary accommodation,” Sprawson points out.  

According to Dave Williams-Jones, CEO of FWJK Developments, The Docklands offers residents the must-haves for modern daily living including high speed, fibre optic internet, secure undercover parking and 24/7 manned security with access control and a white glove concierge.  

The development is one of FWJK’s projects under construction in Cape Town totalling R1,8 billion,” added Williams-Jones. 

“What’s really important is that we are selling a lifestyle that is on par with some of the most fashionable in the world,” says Sprawson.  

The Docklands comes with a magnificent roof top pool deck and entertainment area with stunning views of South Africa’s most beautiful city, the mountains and the sea. The Vida E café on the ground floor not only serves superb coffee but adds to the urban chic vibe.  

Sprawson says De Waterkant, which is the mother city’s IT playground and home to a host of creative and communications companies, has its own unique energy and pulse.  

The city’s top restaurants and eateries are virtually on the doorstep and both the nightlife and sporting events in Cape Town that can help stressed city slickers to kick back and chill are also close by.   A retail experience second to none is just a stroll away with some of the country’s best shopping at the V&A Waterfront, iconic Foundry and historic Cape Quarter which offers an upmarket and sophisticated take on the precinct’s unique history.    

Sprawson says an apartment at The Docklands is an excellent investment for both those wishing to live alongside the city beat and those looking for the ideal lock-up-and-go residence.  

“The area is equally attractive to foreign buyers and local people buying to live the trendy and upmarket lifestyle of De Waterkant. Semigrating South Africans as well as straight forward investors also want in as the demand creates excellent capital growth and a good rental return. The Docklands is also positioned perfectly for Airbnb as so many travellers love the area,” he says.  

Apartments are priced from R2,85 million for a one bedroomed apartment to R9,4 million for a penthouse apartment.  The development is scheduled for completion in August 2018.  

For more information, visit www.tysonprop.co.za or http://www.thedocklands.me/  Ends

OEMs, panel builders and system integrators will all enjoy the benefits of robust performance, ease of installation and product commonality 

Johannesburg, South Africa, 26 June, 2017 - RS Components (RS), the trading brand of Electrocomponents plc (LSE:ECM), the global distributor for engineers, has increased the range of products it stocks from Schneider Electric’s Harmony range – the most comprehensive range of switches, pushbuttons, and pilot lights on the market for OEMs, panel builders, and system integrators. 

The new additions – which comprise robust and ergonomic push buttons, switches and pilot lights, indicators, timers, sockets and potentiometers – will allow panel designers to incorporate additional functionality and flexibility into their electrical panels, which, in turn, will give operators additional capabilities and visual indicators. 

Thanks to a unique shake-proof system, low-power signals and low-power switching, the Harmony range is well suited to demanding industrial environments and explosive/dust-laden atmospheres and can withstand the harshest operating conditions, including those seen in the textile, wood and paper, automotive, packaging, food and beverage, marine, mining, water, and oil and gas industries. 

Delivering high reliability, service life and performance coupled to lower maintenance and increased operator safety, the range also offers quick and simple installation thanks to a self-holding function when mounting, the ability to stack contact modules, and reliable and friction-locked fastening with just one screw. A wide range of accessories is also available that is compatible with the entire Harmony range. New products in the range, now available from RS, include: Flush-mounting kits, which provide an innovative design to improve the look and feel of new and existing control panels; Potentiometers for drive-speed control or to make basic setting adjustments; Three-phase voltage Indicators, which highlight the presence of three phases with or without neutral for the main power supply 360−440 VAC; USB and RJ45 ports for simple and effective connectivity of a PLC; Panel mount timers for the modification of PLC timer programs without opening the panel door; Yellow functions, comprising lights, LED blocks switch heads, pushbuttons and selector switch heads. 

By stocking this extended range from Schneider Electric, panel builders can now call upon a single manufacturer and supplier for all of their electrical requirements, safe in the knowledge that spares and many other compatible devices are readily available with short lead times. Operators gain peace of mind through: improved efficiency with better feedback; a clearer view of control features, thanks to high brightness and full-surface illumination; and large, flat pushbutton heads that are optimised for button actuation while wearing gloves. 

The additions form part of a much larger collection of panel building solutions from RS, which are backed up with significant support and educational collateral on the RS DesignSpark website. For further information on products stocked by RS for maintenance and machine safety applications please visit: http://smarturl.it/plant-maintenance and http://smarturl.it/machine-plant-safety.  

-Ends-  

About RS Components 

RS Components is the market leader in the high service level distribution of electrical, electronic, mechanical, tools and industrial products. Operating in 26 countries whilst serving a further 100 through third-party distributors, RS serves every sector of industry in the procurement of their products relating to maintenance, repair, operations, low volume production, research and development.   

With over 500 000 products across 2500 leading brands, the company is committed to ensuring that their 1,5 million customers have fast access to a broad, as well as deep range, of products and technologies, all under one roof. RS’s customers, whether ordering single or multiple items, experience a quick, easy, secure, painless and cost effective process.  The RS catalogue, available at za.rs-online.com, offers full colour pictures with extensive clear product specifications. 

Free access to thousands of datasheets ensures the correct product choice.  Order placement is easily facilitated through za.rs-online.com, the call centre, e-mail, fax and trade counter.  Locally held stock is delivered to customers within 24 hours, and products held internationally, within four to six working days.    

It is proven that departments traditionally spend 80% of their time sourcing products that account for only 20% of their total procurement spend. RS is focussed on reducing the customers “total cost of product ownership” by reducing the need to make multiple calls to various companies to source products, reducing supplier related administration and allowing for the amalgamation as well as consolidation of supplier bases. 

Through this process, procurement efficiency is improved and time is freed up to concentrate on the more important business decisions.  For more information, please visit the website at za.rs-online.com 

Press Office:                                                                       

Le-andra Olivier
PR and Communications Specialist
RS Components South Africa
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
+27 11 691 9345 

Further information is available via these links:

• Twitter: @rsonline_SA; @DesignSparkRS
• Facebook: facebook.com/rssouthafrica/RS Components on
• LinkedIn - http://www.linkedin.com/company/rscoms 

Relevant Links: 

• RSProRS Components South Africawww.electrocomponents.com
• DesignSpark Magazine - http://www.designspark.com 

Craig Featherby, Group CEO of Carrick, is pleased to announce the promotion of Samantha Taylor-Bowen to Group Director of Training and Development for the Carrick Group of companies, where she will sit on the Board of both the South African and International divisions.

[PHOTO] Sam is the first woman to be appointed to the Board, in an industry that is largely dominated by men.

Her role as Group Director of Training & Development will largely be focused on developing, implementing and monitoring training programmes within the organisation; mentoring new and existing Associates in skills development so that they can continue to excel in the industry, and assisting with development of strategic training for the Group. Her leadership in this area is viewed as being vital to the growth of the business and the professional development of the various teams.

Samantha joined Carrick at inception (8th October 2014), and assumed a management role in Cape Town, having spent seven successful years as a senior Financial Adviser and manager for a large international brokerage. In the two years that she has been with Carrick, her track record as a Senior Adviser has been without par, with the highest income production level in the company. While the Sales division will be minus their most lucrative team member as a result of this promotion, the Group will profit from her leadership and direction in the continued maturation of the various business units, and in the organisation’s expansion plans.

She sees her role on the board as an exemplar to others within the company: that it is possible to work your way to the most senior levels through tenacity, skill, knowledge, experience and self-development. Her promotion is evidence of Craig Featherby’s belief that hard work and personal accomplishment should be rewarded with promotion where deserved, and her appointment to the Board of Directors is the first from within the ranks at company level. Taylor-Bowen will report directly to the Group CEO from 1 January 2017.

The Oliver Kahn Safe-Hub will officially open in Gugulethu-Manenberg during a launch event on Wednesday, May 18 with 100 representatives from nonprofit, government, business and the local community. Attendees will gather on the grounds of Intshukumo Comprehensive High School, opposite Nyanga Junction in the heart of Gugulethu-Manenberg. The launch will be kicked off by former Germany captain and goalkeeper, legendary footballer Oliver Kahn.

The Oliver Kahn Foundation is a long-standing partner of AMANDLA EduFootball, the NGO that developed the award-winning Safe-Hub Model. Kahn said of the Safe-Hub launch: “I strongly believe that if we create a positive, encouraging environment for young people, they can achieve anything. This Safe-Hub will be a meeting-point to drive youth and community development – it’s a place for learning and fun, and I am incredibly proud to be a part of it.”

The Safe-Hub Model is designed to globally disrupt the intergenerational cycles of poverty, unemployment and inequality that trap young people growing up in urban slums. Each Safe-Hub includes an artificial turf field, training academy, psychosocial support centre, and a Youth Café, which is run by local youth and offers free WiFi access and meeting space. A platform for community engagement as well as youth development, the Safe-Hub also includes commercial space for young entrepreneurs and local start-ups, as well as shared office space for local NGOs and government initiatives.

The Safe-Hub Model uses an evidence-based approach that has been refined by AMANDLA over 9 years of working in some of South Africa’s most challenging areas. AMANDLA and its partners collectively operate three Safe-Hubs serving up to 6,000 young people in Diepsloot, Khayelitsha and now Gugulethu-Manenberg. Planning is underway for additional Safe-Hubs within South Africa, as well as the first Safe-Hub outside of the country, to be located in Berlin, Germany.

For more information on the Oliver Kahn Safe-Hub launch, kindly email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. To request media credentials for the event, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

AMANDLA EduFootball   AMANDLA EduFootball is an international Non-Profit Organisation that is based in South Africa and Germany. The organisation’s mission is to create safe spaces that bring together the power of football and learning to empower youth and change lives. AMANDLA’s vision is: “A world where all young people access equal opportunities, strive to realise their full potential and dare to dream...“   AMANDLA is endorsed by the United Nations Office on Sport for Development and Peace. The organisation has won numerous international awards such as the Beyond Sport Award.

The Oliver Kahn Foundation   The Oliver Kahn Foundation is a German charitable foundation that pursues exclusively charitable objectives with the vision of ‘Empowering Young People’. The basis of the Foundation is the ‘Du packst es!’-Programme, a motivational learning programme based on an 11-step approach to reaching one’s personal vision. Oliver Kahn is an internationally recognised former football star generating visibility, partnerships and networks for the Safe-Hub campaign. For more information visit www.oliver-kahn-stiftung.de

Indie games are fast becoming a trend in South Africa, catching on from the overseas markets. These days, children and adults alike are playing mobile games as never before. People are always hungry for something different, which is where indie games – or ‘independent’ games – come in, providing players with something other than the mass-produced mainstream products.

Now, Somerset West can boast with its very own game studio that started turning its cogs in February this year. For its first month of existence, the studio was run out of the founder’s mother’s basement – typical indie game studio protocol, if history is anything to go by. Now, running from a house close to De Hoop Primary School, the studio focuses on creating mobile games (such as their recently released Afrikaans game, Fanie de Beer) and has oodles of style, creativity, skill and initiative.

While the Apmil Game Studio has only been up and running for a few months, the people who daily put their shoulders to its wheels have been building up relationships for the last three-and-a-half years. Even though the studio officially started up in February, the idea of an indie game studio had been brewing in the mind of Studio Head, Pierre Bezuidenhout, since 2011. Pierre started lecturing in the Animation Department of Cape Town’s City Varsity in 2011 – and this is where he met the three students who would later join him in this grand venture.

Pierre, as leader of the team, is Apmil’s Programmer and Technical Director. He has previously worked in advertising and animation for Wicked Pixels in Woodstock and held the position of lecturer at Concept Interactive as well as at City Varsity. His impressive skill set includes a sharp eye for detail as well as design flair and programming aptitude in different digital languages and platforms – he is also quite the people-person. Altus Barry is the Technical Lead, taking charge of rigs, renders and other related tasks. Mabet van Zijl did her major in 3D Narrative and, as Generalist, leads Apmil’s marketing and writing in between her usual workload. Louren Hattingh takes the roles of Lead Animator and Concept Artist. While each person has their area to lead, the workflow runs with a ‘rock-paper-scissors’-style in which one falls under the delegation of another while dealing with respective area-specific tasks. Sitting around a whiteboard, each armed with a marker, they discuss character design, story line, player motivation, level arrangement, time constraints and load division before jumping in with the actual development.

The first released game, Fanie de Beer, is a 100% physics-driven, full 3D, indie puzzle game with a distinct South African flavour. Playing as Fanie de Beer, a 12-year-old farm-boy, the player utilizes simple little rocks by tapping once on the screen to clear best friend Jaco Kriel’s fields of strategically placed, ancient landmines. Built in Unity, the game takes place in a single day – with the story starting early in the morning and ending in the evening – transporting the player through a dynamic day/night cycle and colourful, saturated farm fields as they progress through the 84 levels, meeting new mine types and increasingly difficult challenges as they go along. Written and designed in Afrikaans, then carefully translated into true farm-style English, this game is unique, fun and proudly South African. The demo is available for download from the Google Play Store, while the full game can be purchased on Samsung Apps and Amazon.

The next game in the pipeline is different from Fanie de Beer in virtually every way. Where Fanie is a very colourful 3D puzzle game with just enough back-story to set the player up for the context and flavour of the game, the current project is a heavily story-driven platform-game that takes place in a fictional world made up of parallaxing silhouettes and strange characters.

Apmil Game Studio has not only been created as a platform to build games, but also as a springboard for fellow animators, developers, designers and illustrators. It’s a breeding ground for collaboration, ideas, innovation and learning. Each person hones their skills while doing fun and challenging work through creating games and stories as well as fulfilling the creative needs of small to medium-sized businesses in the Western Cape and Gauteng.

Apmil Game Studio services include animation, app creation, game creation, rendering/stills, asset creation, video editing and UX. The creative division of Apmil, led by artist Janet Botes and writer Michelle Albinson, offers logo design, graphic design, online/web design, interactive design, writing, editing, proofreading and illustration.

Apmil prides itself on being different: Fresh ideas, innovative applications, strange and wonderful games – they are all things that receive the studio’s love and attention to detail. To find out more or to get involved, contact Pierre Bezuidenhout at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call him on 082 499 3133

Studio ingredients:[A]ltus makes the bus and [P]ierre drives the bus; [M]abet takes the bus t[i]ckets and [L]ouren makes the bus move. Thus, [apmil].

Free demo: Google Play – bit.ly/fanie_demo 
Full version: Samsung Apps – bit.ly/fanie
Official Trailer: Youtube – bit.ly/fanie_trailer 
Apmil page: Apmil/Fanie – apmil.co.za/fanie-de-beer