The main challenge entrepreneurs are facing in Africa is not the lack of great ideas but the fear of turning ideas into reality. With unemployment in South Africa at an all time high, more and more people are trying to make their own way in the economy.The Africa Digital Entrepreneurship events are about turning dreams into action. The series of events aims to enable digital entrepreneurship and the upcoming ‘Bitcoin Nights’ meet-up in Johannesburg on Thursday, 24 October at The Business Exchange Morningside, 150 Rivonia Road is a must-attend event for anyone interested in the digital assets space.

Business networking is the fast track to success and event sponsors such as Zcoin and OVEX believe that entrepreneurship is the way forward for South Africans. Jonathan Ovadia, Co-Founder and CEO at OVEX, a company helping to create an open, trustless and more efficient financial system says “the vision is to break down the barriers that prevent people from entering the traditional financial system. We believe that wealth-creating investment opportunities shouldn’t only be accessible to the wealthy, but should be available to all.”

The event is facilitated by the United Africa Blockchain Association (UABA), a non-profit leading blockchain education and adoption in sub-Saharan Africa. With the help of sponsors, The Africa Digital Entrepreneurship Series’ goal is to provide relevant content on business and technology that helps people learn and grow professionally and personally.The meet-ups provide a conducive environment for networking and ideas exchange, and attendees can look forward to free drinks, giveaways and prizes. Other sponsors include Divi, which makes it possible for anyone to participate in securing blockchains through their one-click masternodes, challenging the notion that you need technical expertise to participate in the blockchain ecosystem. Centbee, a digital wallet company that believes in the power of people to create an abundant future and æternity, a new blockchain technology, designed to deliver efficiency, transparent governance and global scalability are also part of the sponsors who see huge potential in Africa and are actively championing the digital asset revolution.

The theme of the Johannesburg event focuses on the Digital Asset Economy and anyone interested in tech is welcome to attend FREE of charge and benefit from the networking opportunity and inspiring discussions. Speakers will include Adi Kaimowitz, President and CEO of Virtual Actuary, Maushami Chetty of Novate Legal; Mpho Dagada – Commisioner, 4th Industrial Revolution at the SA Presidency; and Yaliwe Soko, Chairperson at UABA.The event aims to inspire participants to increase their appetite for entrepreneurship and get more knowledgeable about the growing trend in digital assets. Africa is a market ready to adopt new technology but lack of emphasis on digital entrepreneurship opportunities in Africa might result in missed economic opportunities for the next generation.

“It’s important to encourage the youth to explore the option of entrepreneurship as a career path instead of waiting for employment opportunities which may never be available to them.Initiatives such as the Africa Digital Entrepreneurship Series focus on creating awareness and demystifying what it means to run a digital enterprise,” said Heath Muchena, Founder of Proudly Associated, a company working with companies developing blockchain-powered technologies that have use cases focusing on emerging economy development to gain adoption across the continent.Whether you’re a student, professional or fledgling entrepreneur, this event will provide valuable insights and an opportunity to learn, grow, network and be inspired all in one. The meet-up will be a relaxed, no-suits-or-ties sort of event so expect to learn and be entertained. 

"The Africa Digital Entrepreneurship Series connects up-and-coming entrepreneurs in all fields. It’s a fantastic way for those interested in tech and online businesses to build a solid support network,” said Grey Jabesi, host of the Grey Ave Podcast, Africa’s top rated podcast which focuses on survival skills for the 21st century.

By attending this FREE event, attendees will:

Learn about new frontiers in digital innovation

Find out how to leverage technology to broaden participation in the global digital economy

Boost digital asset knowledge including digital asset acquisition and management

Learn how to build a fully remote businessDiscover mentorship opportunities

Interact with other entrepreneurs and build business networks

Meet like-minded innovators and go-getters

Be empowered!

GET TICKETS HERE: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/africa-digital-entrepreneurship-series-tickets-77802321839

Event details: 

Admission: FREE (Limited space so make sure you get there early.)

Date: Thursday, 24 October, 2019

Location:  The Business Exchange, Block 4, 150 Rivonia Road, Morningside, Sandton, 2057 Johannesburg.

If you want to sponsor this event or for more information, contact:This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

If you love creative work that highlights a powerful, socially uplifting message, look at the Loeries Shared Value category, sponsored in 2019 by Vodacom. It’s a showcase of brilliant campaigns that are socially useful and commercially successful. Shared value takes corporate social responsibility much further.

“Rather than being charitable,” explains Harvard Business School Professor Michael Porter, and Harvard Kennedy School of Government Senior Fellow, Mark Kramer, “corporate shared value is a management strategy in which companies find business opportunities in social problems.” Vodacom’s Managing Executive: Brand & Comms Abey Mokgwatsane says the Loeries Shared Value category is in line with Vodacom’s values and a natural sponsorship fit.

“Our commitment is to bring a meaningful, sustainable economic transformation of South Africa and beyond,” he explains. “We laud all companies that are creating jobs, stimulating the economy and being innovative about the way they make money, while still tackling the social issues of our times.” Safaricom's “DigiFarm”, the Kenyan mobile solution for smallholder farmers – which took gold in the Loeries Shared Value category last year – is a good example of adding value to the community while helping to build the brand experience.

The app enables farmers to expand and improve their business activities by providing education, access to loans, easier purchases and eliminating the middleman when they sell their crops. It simply helps farmers to do better business while empowering their lives and their community. Perhaps a question to be posed is, if business can be socially uplifting, does that mean it should be?

Pepe Marais, CEO of Joe Public United, and #1 ranked Chief Creative Officer in the Loeries Official Rankings, offers this hypothesis: “Aspiring to be bigger than yourself isn’t just a nice ideal, it’s the driving force of successful businesses.” Marais says: “Any entrepreneur will tell you that there is something far greater that drives her or his business. Without that drive, most would not have made it past the first year – it is simply too tough. The challenge is that this drive is so deeply unconscious that the conscious answer often may be money.” But, in reality, Marais insists we need something greater to motivate us.

“That drive is at the heart of the greater purpose of the business.” Ultimately, doing business with a purpose helps you do better business. Considering that Joe Public United is rated the number one agency in the Loeries Official Rankings, Marais certainly knows a thing or two about operating a company on the philosophy of shared value. “We believe that the growth of our people is linked to the growth of our creative product, which impacts the growth of our clients, and which ultimately contributes to the growth of the country,” he says.

Mokgwatsane agrees: “Vodacom is in the business of connecting people for a better future. Technology gives us tremendous power, but ultimately, it’s what we do with it that counts. We remain committed to responding to the needs of millions of people that can benefit from the capacity of technology to democratise access to the life changing services of a connected future.

By sponsoring the Loeries Shared Value category, we support companies and creatives who are using the power of shared value to inspire.” P2/.... The Loeries extended deadline for entries is June 7, 2019. Details at loeries.com Major Partners:     DStv Media Sales, Gearhouse        Category Partners:    AB InBev, Barron, Brand South Africa, Facebook, Gagasi FM, Google, JCDecaux, Nando’s, Tsogo Sun, Vodacom, Woolworths 

Additional Partners and Official Suppliers:    AAA School of Advertising, Antalis South Africa, Aon South Africa, Backsberg, BEE Online, First     Source, Fresh RSVP Guest Logistics, Funk Productions, Gallo Images, Grid Worldwide, Hetzner,     Mama Creative, Newsclip, Paygate, Rocketseed, Shared Value Initiative, Shift Social Development,  Vega School, VQI Communications Nigeria

Endorsed by:    Association of Communication and Design, Brand Council South Africa, Commercial Producers     Association, Creative Circle, EXCA, IAB, South African Institute of Architects, IID        Official Media Partners    Bizcommunity.com, Book of Swag, Brand Communicator Nigeria, Business Insider by Pulse, Campaign Middle East, Film & Event Media, Modern Marketing,The Redzone.        Twitter: @loeries    Instagram: Loerieawards    Facebook: The Loeries

Distributed on behalf of the  Loeries  by:    Riana Greenblo Communications Date: May 27, 2019   For more information,interview requests or high-res images, please contact:    Riana Greenblo on 011 3256006; 0825675159 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Gina McLoughlin on 0113256006 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (mornings only) IMAGES INCLUDED:    Abey Mokgwatsane Digi Farm 2018 Gold Shared Value Joe Public agency of the year 2018 Joe Public Craft Gold CAPTIONS Caption 1: Abey Mokgwatsane, Vodacom’s Managing Executive: Brand & Comms Caption 2: Digi Farm took Gold for the 2018 Shared Value category Caption 3: Joe Public won agency of the year at the Loeries 2018. Caption 4: Joe Public won Campaign Craft Golf in 2018 for their A Little Hungry - Mine, Temple, Bank for Chicken Licken

Nando’s joins the Loeries to celebrate design Design from Africa and the Middle East finally gets the recognition it deserves with the expanded Nando’s Design category at the Loeries in 2019. This year’s category has been extended to recognise design from a much broader range of creative professionals. “We’ve expanded the design category beyond only brand communication to include areas of design such as retail furniture and product design, fabric, wallpaper, lighting, architecture and interior design, and even the design of signage programmes,” says Loeries CEO Andrew Human. He adds that the Loeries has long been recognised as the highest accolade in advertising and brand communication.

“A strong design award has been lacking for our region and this is a great opportunity for all designers to showcase their work and achieve recognition.” Design is woven into the Nando’s DNA, making Nando’s a natural partner for the Design category. “Design and creativity have been an intrinsic part of the Nando’s way of doing business.

Nando’s is the first local brand to collaborate with local designers at the scale it does,” says Deirdre King, Nando’s Brand Experience GM. She adds: “Putting our support behind the design community is important to doing business well. Our PERi-PERi power has charted new paths and careers for many local artists and their art. Putting that same fire behind the extended Design category for the 2019 Loeries gives us a chance to spice things up for the wonderful designers who will imprint their names onto this exciting category. According to Gaby de Abreu, Loeries board member and creative head of Switch Design, the awards are invaluable because they offer a chance for designers to showcase their work to a far greater audience.

“The Nando’s Design category at the Loeries is an opportunity to showcase excellence across disciplines in countries throughout Africa and the Middle East. For independent designers, it’s a unique chance to achieve recognition across the industry, reaching creatives internationally,” says de Abreu. “For a furniture designer working in an independent workshop or a graphic designer outside of the agency network, this year’s Loeries offers a chance to show the world what you’ve achieved,” he adds. The Nando’s Design category at the Loeries is open to designers across all the main disciplines. The entry deadline is 15 May and more information can be found on loeries.com.

About Nando's: While proudly South African, Nando’s is an international flame-grilling, PERi-PERi chicken restaurant group. We offer a twist of Afro-Portuguese with an upmarket and comfortable dining experience. Two friends, Robert Brozin and Fernando Duarte, opened the first Nando’s in 1987 in Johannesburg, South Africa. All Nando's PERi-PERi chicken is marinated for 24 hours, locally sourced and never frozen, ensuring our customers only get the finest flavours.

Our unique PERi-PERi recipe includes herbs, spices, garlic, lemon juice and bird’s eye chilli. Nando's authentic PERi -PERi has captivated its customers all over the world, making it the largest South African restaurant group to expand internationally. DEADLINE FOR 2019 LOERIES ENTRIES EXTENDED TO MAY 31 About Loeries Africa Middle East: The Loeries, a non-profit company, is Africa and the Middle East’s premiere initiative that recognises, rewards, inspires and fosters creative excellence in the brand communication industry.

As the highest accolade for creativity and innovation across our region, the Loeries promotes and supports creativity by helping marketers, agencies and consumers appreciate the value of ideas and fresh thinking.

Culminating in the biggest creative gathering in Africa and the Middle East, Loeries Creative Week Durban brings together the best innovative minds from our industry for a festival of networking, inspiring minds and recognising great work. Our region's creative economy is world-class and has great potential to grow and to offer employment both to our talented youth. The growth occurring throughout Africa and the Middle East is very exciting, and a major focus of the Loeries is to increase the standard of brand communication in the region.

Major Partners of the Loeries: DStv Media Sales, Gearhouse Category Partners: AB InBev, Barron, Brand South Africa, Facebook, Gagasi FM, Google, JCDecaux, Nando’s, Tsogo Sun, Woolworths Additional Partners and Official Suppliers: AAA School of Advertising, Antalis South Africa, Aon South Africa, Backsberg, BEE Online, First Source, Fresh RSVP Guest Logistics, Funk Productions, Gallo Images, Grid Worldwide, Hetzner, Mama Creative, Newsclip, Paygate, Rocketseed, Shared Value Initiative, Shift Social Development, Vega School, VQI Communications Nigeria Endorsed by: Association of Communication and Design, Brand Council South Africa, Commercial Producers Association, Creative Circle, EXCA, IAB, South African Institute of Architects, IID Official Media Partners Between 10and5, Bizcommunity.com, Book of Swag, Brand Communicator Nigeria, Business Insider by Pulse, Campaign Middle East, Film & Event Media, Modern Marketing The Redzone. Twitter: @loeries Instagram: Loerieawards Facebook: The Loeries

Distributed on behalf of the Loeries by: Riana Greenblo Communications: 011 3256006

For more information, interview requests or high-res images please contact: Gina McLoughlin: 0113256006 (mornings only)or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Riana Greenblo: +27 82 5675159 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Cape Town Edtech startup Angaza Ltd has launched a disruptive smartphone app which helps high-school learners be brilliant at maths. MindZu (www.mindzu.com) is an exquisitely crafted learning experience, whose gorgeous graphics and slick interface just make you want to explore. 

Godfrey Parkin and Karen Parkin, of Cape Town’s digital strategy firm Britefire, are two of Angaza’s founders. According to Godfrey, “MindZu raises the bar for STEAM e-learning. Clichéd teacher videos are replaced with animated fantasy and fun, while comprehensively covering the full year’s curriculum. Learning is mission-based – you have to rescue your friends from the clutches of the Army of Meh, using maths as your super-power. Every second is colourful, stimulating and motivating. Learners are in control of what they learn, and how fast they learn it. Performance systems let them know what they missed, where they need to focus, and where they are brilliant. Gamified challenges and rewards are woven into personalised learning journeys. And learners are not alone – they can connect with others in their class or around the world. MindZu runs on basic Android smartphones, online or offline. And it’s all available for a fraction of the cost of conventional e-learning.”

Angaza’s goal is to make a superb learning experience universally affordable.

Over the coming months MindZu will roll out the maths and sciences curricula for the last two years of high school. According to Godfrey Parkin, the year before matric is the tipping point for most learners. “This is where maths gets hard, and where many learners start to hate it. This is the point where potential future doctors, engineers and scientists choose an alternate career path. It is where learners with an interest in the arts turn away from an opportunity to add new dimensions to their creative mind. This is the point where Angaza decided to make a difference.” For now, it's available only in India.

He explained that the bootstrapped startup has to quickly achieve operational profitability. “Why are we launching in India and not South Africa? To keep MindZu amazingly affordable, our margins are razor thin. So we need to launch in a market with real volume potential. India gives us a vast market already highly receptive to mobile education. But we will bring MindZu to Africa later this year, probably through a sponsor or business partner.”

MindZu is the culmination of years of work by a global team of educational writers, game developers, instructional designers, animators and user experience experts. Angaza’s founders are deeply experienced in education and technology. Khalaf Rashid was the resident partner and CEO of Macmillan Publishers in Tanzania. Karen Parkin is a UX expert with a history of computer games production and award winning digital projects in major European and US corporations. Kwang Lee is an artist, animator and creative director. Godfrey Parkin is a digital strategist, and was one of the original pioneers of e-learning in the US.

You can find out more about MindZu at www.mindzu.com.

Contact: Godfrey Parkin, CEO, at +27 21 794 7838 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The SpaceStation, South Africa’s leading digital media sales company and 24.com’s sales arm, hosted a series of presentations that culminated in a Digital Trends workshop in Durban in September. The aim of this industry roadshow was to unpack important considerations for digital media spend and strategy going into 2019. One of the key trends identified was by News24’s Editor-in-Chief, Adriaan Basson, who spoke to how vital it is to understand the implications of brand safety and brand safe online environments in the complicated age of fake news.

Said Adriaan, “News consumers have a yearning to return to trusted news, and when you couple this need with the massive corporate responsibility of ensuring brands are not funding destructive fake news platforms, it becomes very clear where and how digital media spend needs to be used.”

Adriaan was supported by Gavin Ruiters, Regional Sales Director: CPT at The SpaceStation, who looked at the power of premium video in a brand safe environment and explained the importance of 24.com’s new partnership with global video supplier Oovvuu; Renato Balona, 24.com publisher, who explored the shifting trends around mobile and Myles Brown, Head of 24.com’s Brand Studio, who unpacked what works and what doesn’t with native content.

The final speaker to the podium was Natasha Fourie, Head of Strategy at The SpaceStation who explained the importance and power of audience segmentation. Said Natasha, “More and more budgets are required to show greater efficiency in this economic climate.  Audience segmentation does just this by drilling right down into the data to identify true interest. It drives efficiency and impact.”

Added Craig Nicholson, Regional Sales Director (North) atThe SpaceStation, “It is clear that next year, marketers and advertisers will be faced with the dual challenge of showing greater results on shrinking budgets while successfully navigating their brands onto brand safe platforms. This means that cheaper programmatic options will not be the answer. The industry needs to aim for scale, on a credible network that can target and re-target highly segmented audiences to ensure each Rand spent is maximised.”

For more information go to www.thespacestation.co.zaor @SpaceStationZA on Twitter. 

Gauteng based digital marketing agency Stilt Media are making waves as one of the few completely black women owned and led agencies in the current South African marketing and advertising landscape. The agency is already disrupting the typical client/agency relationship by using technology and data to add real value and return on investment to clients’ bottom lines. 

Founded in 2015, Stilt Media headed up by Marketing Director Mimi Mphaphuli and Managing Director Tina Manyanya. Both women come from impressive leadership and management backgrounds, with Manyanya having headed up her own department at Publicis Media and Mphaphuli having lead a department at Ogilvy.

The pair decided to start up Stilt Media after noticing a gap in the current digital marketing environment in terms of service and delivery. They aim to use their unique backgrounds to create better processes and build better strategies to boost clients from an operational and business development point of view.
So what makes Stilt Media different?

“To start with, we believe in the power of technology and data and how it can be used to add measurable value,” says Manyanya. “We’re used to seeing the scenario where a client comes to an agency with a bunch of cash and tells them to run a campaign without having an understanding of what they agency is going to do and why. We want to use the data, analytics and tools at our disposal to demystify what we do, so clients can see that everything we recommend is from a strategic point of view. We don’t want to waste the client’s money.”

“So many South African agencies just take their client’s funding and rely on automated tools to do the heavy lifting for their social media and search campaigns,” adds Mphaphuli. “We’d rather dig deep into the data, so we can understand how to constantly better optimise our campaigns.”
“We’re very interested in where technology is going and in investing in tools that can help make things easier and more affordable for our clients. Whether it’s more efficient reporting tools or more efficient programmatic processes, we’re always looking at ways to get more insights without cutting corners.”
The pair acknowledge that the current advertising industry has a reputation for a lack of transparency, and hope to build trust through becoming strategic partners to their clients – and not just another agency. 

“We understand that the industry has for a very long time operated without transparency and clients have been kept from seeing where their money is going and how it’s being spent. What we are doing is telling them what the work we’re doing will do to their bottom line,” says Manyanya.
“We are interested in being strategic partners and taking things beyond a typical client agency relationship. We’re asking ourselves, ‘how can we assist you and partner with you to help your business grow holistically?’”
Stilt Media also believes in fostering the next generation of black, female digital marketing leaders, and have created a paid internship program to facilitate this.

“Having both grown up in agency environments, we understand what the typical internship can be like,” says Mphaphuli. “We don’t just want to give them meaningless jobs to do. We want them to understand the thinking behind what we do and take ownership of it. We want to encourage a spirit of entrepreneurship.”
Stilt Media is currently taking on clients across verticals, and already has partnered with several major South African agencies as well as clients in the technology, automotive, financial and entertainment sectors.

To get in touch with the company, contact 011 463 5767

The eCommerce Africa Confex is proving to be Africa's most influential eCommerce gathering as we bring you face to face with the key individuals in the industry. The conference agenda will cover all things eCommerce, from how to expand your business into Africa to the survival and flourishing of SME's and small businesses. 

Raphael Afaedor, Co-Founder of Jumia and CEO/Co-Founder of Supermart, together with Simdul Shagaya, CEO and Founder of Konga.com will both be sitting on a panel discussing how to sell into Africa and grow your business beyond South Africa. 

Raphael is part of the advisory panel that has been consulted to tailor the event agenda. He co-founded one of Nigeria's largest online stores, Jumia, in 2012 and has since left to start Supermart, an online platform that allows the consumer to shop from over 18 000 grocery items. Simdul is the CEO and co-founder of recently Naspers-invested, Konga.com which is known as Africa's answer to Amazon.com. He was on Forbe's list of "The 10 Most Powerful Men in Africa 2014" and also won "Entrepreneur of the Year" at the 2013 All Africa Business Leaders Awards. 

SME's and startups can gather valuable insight during a panel that will discuss what small businesses, without the big corporate budgets, can do to build a business that will not only survive but thrive and flourish in the eCommerce industry. Panellists for this discussion include:

• David Muller, Managing Director of CyberCellar

• Phaedon Gourtsoyannis, Founder of Cape Coffee Beans

• Gary Hadfield, CEO of loot.co.za

• Olivier Chas, Managing Director and Co-Founder of CitySlicker

The eCommerce Africa Confex takes places on the 3rd and 4th February 2015 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre.

Should you wish to register as a delegate or are interested in sponsor or exhibitor opportunities, please contact Greg Johnson on 021 180 4700 or email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

Companies are rapidly seeing the benefits of social media. In fact, social media is becoming indispensable for business, but with all the benefits come threats and risks as well for the workplace. Frost & Sullivan’s Global Workforce Study found that 64% of respondent companies limit employee access to social media through content filtering and website blocking technology, 51% restrict access by setting and enforcing policy and 25% have no restrictions on the use of social media by employees.  

Businesses should define clear social media usage policies, specifying who can access social media, what sites they can access, when they can access them, where they can access them and what devices they can use to access social media during work hours. There should be no room left for confusion. Policies should be clear, well defined and communicated to employees.  

Professionals who would benefit by attending include HR Managers, Digital Marketers, Chief Risk Officers, Social Media Strategists, Office Managers, Marketing Managers, HR Consultants, Employee Benefit Managers, Legal Advisors, Digital Projects Managers, e-Commerce Managers, Risk Managers to name a few...  

Rosalind Davey and Khomotso Makapane will facilitate the workshop, teaching all attendees how to understand and and mitigate the risks of social media in the workplace. Both of the facilitators are qualified attorneys from one of South Africa’s top law firms Bowman Gilfillan and specialise in employment law and Rosalind is one of the few attorneys specialising in social media law.  

During the half day workshop social media statistics, constitutional rights, RICA, freedom of expression and the law of defamation, liability for defamatory content on social media and vicarious liability, handling social media misconduct, loss of confidential information and contacts as well as mitigating the risks of social media will be addressed. View full agenda and download registration form at www.aoevents.co.za

Workshop registration fee: R800 pp. Groups of 3 or more receive 10% discount.

Email the completed registration form to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to secure your seat.

Woman of today have realized that getting their period every month is, well I guess, just the way life goes. In 1996, Instead, Inc. pioneered a new alternative to tampons and pads with the development and release of its innovative Softcup.

Now in 2014, Maybe MOM is proud to announce that they have made this product tagged ‘The Next Generation of Period Protection' available to the South African market. Maybe MOM Instead Softcup gives you 12-hour wear time, comfort and convenience during your period allowing ladies to live life without interruptions.

Softcup is a flexible cup that is worn internally, around your cervix. It collects, rather than absorbs menstrual flow. It's hypo-allergenic, latex-free and completely safe when used as directed. Softcup has gained popularity for its many advantages over traditional methods of feminine protection including greater safety, longer wear-time, and clean sex during “that time of the month. Softcup can be worn during any activity including sports, swimming and sleeping.  Use one reusable Softcup for up to three cycles, which makes it Easy on the Earth and Easy on the wallet retailing in stores for only R49.99.

More than 200 million Softcups have been sold since the product’s introduction in America in 1996, and there has never been a reported incidence of Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS). In extensive laboratory testing Softcup did not promote the growth of the bacteria that causes TSS. Softcup does not change the body’s natural environment nor does it alter the body’s pH levels, natural bacteria levels or absorb the body’s moisture. “It allows me to use the softcup until the last day of my period, even when my flow may be little to none, it’s comfortable and does not cause dryness or irritation” says Amanda, owner of Maybe MOM South Africa.

“Because the Softcup was uniquely designed for the modern-day woman, it has grown tremendously and developed staying power in the American market, proving an excellent alternative to tampons and pads,” said Joseph Pike, CEO of Instead. Women have embraced the concept of the Softcup because of the greater flexibility and control it gives them over their lives.  In fact, when the Softcup is not offered somewhere, women seek it out rather than buy the alternatives.

The Softcup is an FDA-approved, reusable menstrual product made from a non-absorbent, non irritating polymeric material that has been used for over 20 years in health care products such as catheters and baby bottle nipples and contains no latex. It has undergone extensive toxicology, bio-compatibility and microbiological tests as well as human clinical testing, and contains no drying chemicals or fibers. 

12-Hour Period Protection, Instead Softcup is a proven advancement in period protection. Try it and you'll see how it fits into your busy life.  

For more information and to purchase contact (Wholesale enquiries welcome)  Facebook: www.facebook/maybe mom.com / Website:  www.aeadistribution.co.za /Your nearest Checkers and Checkers Hyper stores as well as Medi Rite Pharmacy’s    For Interviews: Amanda or Elie Kouaiky /Tel:   +2783 2928292 / +2782 8881816 / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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