As South Africa gears up for peak holiday traffic volumes experienced during December, road safety is at the forefront of the minds of those who manage traffic flow and all road users.  The Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) recently teamed up with the City of Johannesburg to host a Quality Road Markings event in support of Transport Month and to increase safety and user experience on the city’s roads.

Plascon was one of three paint suppliers to demonstrate their road-marking paint products at the event which took place at Hyde Park 6th Road between Jan Smuts and First Road last month.  Road marking paint is critical to ensuring road safety as it needs to be both visible and durable. The paint products showcased by Plascon and the other suppliers had to comply with the following factors required by JRA: 

• Paint products must include crystal glass beads with the strong capacity for absorbing, storing and emitting light.
• Can glow for more than twelve hours in the dark thereby increasing safety for road users.
• All the paints (pigments, masterbatches, and aggregates) are non-toxic with no radioactive additives. They must be harmless to the environment which offers a greater level of social responsibility.
• Paints must be quick drying and suitable for direct application to all types of new or previously painted bituminous and concrete road surfaces.
• Can be applied by brush, roller or road striping machine.
• Must have good retro reflectivity due to excellent glass bead retention.
• Produce a surface with anti-skid properties thereby increasing safety when it is raining.

Rolf Redelinghuys, who heads up Plascon’s road-marking paint division, highlights the importance of using specialised highly visible, durable and long lasting road-marking paints to keep traffic flowing smoothly and minimise driver distraction. “It can be applied to all suitable bitumen, asphalt and concrete road surfaces. The specialised resin technologies used in these products, provide maximum resistance to wear and weather conditions.  

These products can be used for painting traffic lines on freeways, city streets, airport runways, factories, parking lots, playgrounds – wherever durable traffic markings are required. “Importantly, to minimise traffic disruptions during application, these products dry rapidly within 15 minutes."

“Another important feature is that these Plascon road-marking paints are very durable with high visibility during the day and night time and designed to withstand a wide range of road and weather conditions that reduces the repainting frequency of lines within the city. Generally speaking, suitable quality asphalt roads exposed to the high traffic volumes within the city and the varying highveld weather conditions in Johannesburg, traffic line markings under ideal conditions should last up to three years. Furthermore, the product is water based and therefore have low risk to operators and is environmentally friendly.” 

Plascon Brand Manager Mareta Le Roux says, “It was an honour for Plascon to be invited to participate in the JRA and City of Johannesburg’s worthwhile road markings initiative, which highlighted the importance of road-marking paint in improving the user experience and safety of Joburg’s roads.”

The Johannesburg leg and last workshop of the ninth annual ENGEN Pitch & Polish programme was held on Saturday, 13 October, and was attended by very engaged and enthusiastic group of entrepreneurs. Since inception, this national entrepreneurial workshop and competition – hosted in partnership with Engen Petroleum Ltd, Nedbank, Raizcorp and Caxton Local Media – has helped over 11 000 entrepreneurs improve the way they pitch their businesses to potential investors. Following the opening talk by Justin Cohen (best-selling author and international speaker) during which he discussed the truth about motivation and the value of delivering a polished pitch, Allon Raiz (founder of Raizcorp) proclaimed that it was inspirational to see so many entrepreneurs.

“My entrepreneurship journey started as a ‘one-man band’ and I, too, had to pitch constantly. The mission of ENGEN Pitch & Polish is to give you the best chance when the opportunity arises. It is your job to convince an investor to spend money on you, your product or service and that they will get a return. We need each and every one of you to grow this country, so learn and perfect your pitch and then go on and employ people and make the change.”

Through the pitch of Thami Biyela, who has a software-development business, the delegates saw the value of being clear and concise when describing the core business. Bringing in an emotive aspect is effective in capturing the attention of a potential investor; however, the numbers must also be sound. Sipho Mampe, who came in third place with his lab equipment manufacturing company, learned that being authentic was powerful and that it instantly made his pitch clearer.

He delivered a detailed breakdown of the funding required and, based on the feedback, now understands that he must understand the profitability of each product line. Coming in second place, Thuso Motau, who manufactures household detergents, learned that it will add credibility to her pitch to include where her products are currently being sold. She was articulate in presenting the problem and how her business solves it.

Going into greater depth about the revenue and profit would have been advantageous. Through the day, Mlungisi Nkomo, who is developing a virtual reality app, was able to pique interest with his tech idea, and learned not to over-complicate his business model at the start-up stage. Research should be intensive and relevant to the local market. A key learning was that he must know the input costs first before putting a price on his product.

The winning pitch came from Mmatsatsi Rampa, who has a paint-manufacturing business. Her pitch was confident and demonstrated how having a great presence illustrates your authority about the business and the industry. You must show potential investors that you have a profitable business when you require funding for expansion plans. Mike Stead from Engen Petroleum Ltd and a seasoned judge for the programme commented, “Today we saw a good variety of contestants in diverse industries.

A key learning is the value in having a solid business case and being able to express it.” Mervyn Pillay from Nedbank added, “This interactive workshop gives great hope for South Africa as job creation will continue to be through small businesses, and the learnings today help support them on their journey.” Insider tip: Be authentic.

People buy from people. Share your story and explain the WIIFM (what’s in it for me). As the 2018 winner of the Johannesburg leg of ENGEN Pitch & Polish, Mmatsatsi Rampa won R6 000 and a week of training at Raizcorp in Johannesburg worth R150 000. She also has the opportunity to progress to the semi-final and become the ultimate 2018 ENGEN Pitch & Polish winner and receive further cash injections and other prizes. Congratulations to everyone for attending, for taking action and for being the light that shines on the local entrepreneurial environment. For more information, visit www.pitchandpolish.com.

In this picture (from left to right): Mlungisi Nkomo, VR app developer from VosloorusThuso Motau, household-detergent manufacturer from Pretoria – second placeMmatsatsi Rampa, paint manufacturer from Johannesburg North – first placeSipho Mampe, lab-equipment manufacturer from Soweto – third placeThami Biyela, software developer from Soweto 

The opening session of the African Real Estate & Infrastructure Summit in Sandton this week will feature keynote addresses by Mr Muzi Mathema, the Gauteng Growth and Development Agency’s Acting Group Executive: Trade, Investment and Regulatory Enablement, as well as the CEO of the Gauteng Industrial Development Zone, Mrs Seipati Mangadi.  

The opportunities and challenges in the South African property sector, from commercial to residential, will be in focus at the summit that returns to Sandton from Thursday, 11  October. Some 200 property professionals are expected to attend this award-winning real estate event, including Johannesburg’s Executive Mayor, Herman Mashaba.

The Gauteng Growth and Development Agency (GGDA) is the headline sponsor for the African Real Estate & Infrastructure Summit with the Gauteng Industrial Development Zone (GIDZ), a subsidiary company of the GGDA, also represented and speaking at the event. 

The conference theme is: “Examining the commercial, industrial and residential development landscape in South Africa”, and programme highlights include: 

Day 1 – Thursday, 11 October 2018:
09:00-09:30
Opening Keynote: Investing in South Africa: How African capital cities are leading the way
- Muzi Mathema, Acting Group Executive: Trade, Investment and Regulatory Enablement at Gauteng Growth and Development Agency

At the GGDA, Mr Mathema is successfully leading the division responsible for promoting trade and exports in and out of the Gauteng Province, as well as the facilitation of both Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and Domestic Direct Investment (DDI) into the Gauteng Province. The function serves to drive economic growth and job creation, through value added facilitation of targeted investment in strategic sectors and delivering trade linkages globally. Additionally, through engagements with public sector stakeholders, potential investors, entrepreneurs, inward and outward trade missions, he is tasked to strategically position the Gauteng Province as a Globally Competitive City Region (GCR).

09:30-10:00
IDZs: Stimulating Struggling Economies: Expansion and development of the country’s industrial development zones: What are the opportunities?
- Seipati Mangadi, CEO of Gauteng Industrial Development Zone 

“The IDZ initiative will go a long way in attracting investment and contributing to lowering unemployment,” according to Ms Mangadi, “however, it should not be seen in separation to other endeavours to make South Africa an attractive destination in which to invest.” She continues: “success lies in working in close cooperation with all stakeholders tasked with marketing South Africa’s investment opportunities. At any given time, there are delegations visiting the globe in efforts to attract investment. However, there could be more cooperation, comparing notes, sharing ideas and ensuring that there is synergy. South Africa needs to sell itself as one investment destination as opposed to competing provinces and SEZs. The launch of Invest SA as a one stop shop is aimed at addressing the current challenges.” 

Day 2 – Friday, 12 October 2018:
09h30 - 10h00
Keynote: Residential Inner City Rejuvenation: How is the City of Johannesburg looking to stimulate private sector investment to raise its R20bn towards redeveloping into affordable housing?
- Herman Mashaba, Executive Mayor, City of Johannesburg                  

Full interviews with several of the event’s expert speakers and partners can be read here: http://www.african-real-estate-summit.com/interviews

Property Buyer Show
During the same week as the African Real Estate & Infrastructure Summit, the award-winning Property Buyer Show also returns to Gauteng from 12-14 October at the Sandton International Convention Centre. The Property Buyer Show is a unique, proven format exhibition aimed at first-time residential property buyers or real estate investors and earlier this year won the AAXO ROAR Organiser and Exhibitor Award for the Best Consumer Exhibition 6000 sqm and under. The African Real Estate & Infrastructure Summit was also voted Africa's best Confex (half conference, half exhibition) at the 2017 AAXO Roar Awards.

The summit and the Property Buyer Show are organised by the multi award-winning Spintelligent, well known for organising exhibitions and conferences across the continent in the infrastructure, energy, mining and agriculture sectors. Longstanding flagship events by Spintelligent include African Utility Week, Future Energy Nigeria (formerly WAPIC), Future Energy East Africa (formerly WAPIC), Agritech Expo Zambia, Kenya Mining Forum, Nigeria Mining Week, DRC Mining Week. Spintelligent is part of Clarion Events Ltd, based in the UK.

Dates and location:
African Real Estate & Infrastructure Summit: 11-12 October 2018
Property Buyer Show expo: 13-14 October 2018
Location: Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg, South Africa

Websites: http://www.african-real-estate-summit.com/ & http://www.propertybuyershow.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ARES_Summit & https://twitter.com/propertyshowsa
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8518271

Media contact:
Senior communications manager:  Annemarie Roodbol
Telephone:  +27 21 700 3558
Email:  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Affordable housing, mixed use development projects and the impact of new technology and the Internet of Things on the commercial, industrial and residential landscape are just some of the topics of discussion on the future of the South African property sector at the upcoming African Real Estate & Infrastructure Summit that returns to Sandton from 11-12 October. Some 200 property professionals are expected to attend this award-winning real estate event.  

Programme highlights and speakers at the African Real Estate & Infrastructure Summit include:

· Panel discussion: The Affordable Housing Conundrum: How do we make affordable housing more attractive to investors?

- Panellist: Harold Spies, CEO, Similan Properties, a property development company specialising in the development of security estates with homes and apartments for the emerging middle class market in Mbombela, Gauteng and PE:

“While investors are looking at yield, developers have to evaluate yield drivers. To me, the answer is in the layered approach of addressing product concept, quality, management and constant evaluation.  It’s not a single thing, but a combination of the detail. When we dare to challenge the norm and strive for affordable luxury, design neighbourhoods and build communities, we have to pause at answering to experience design.” 

· Panel discussion: Integrated Urban Development: Investigating successful mixed use development projects with case studies: What makes these projects successful and how can we continue their sustainability.

- Panellist: Brendan Falkson, Director of Rosslyn Hub, a 100-ha mixed use development at the centre of the Tshwane Auto City, in Rosslyn. The Tshwane Auto City, is Africa’s first multi-OEM auto city, based on successful auto cities in Germany, Japan and China:

“The more role players that can buy into the ‘big vision’ of a project at an early stage, the more chance that this project will not only succeed, but thrive. Integrated urban development is especially significant in South Africa in order to bring communities closer to work opportunities and create better social cohesion."

· Presentation: The Impact of Technology and the Future of Residential Brokerage - What are international firms doing to stay ahead? How does technology improve the residential space?

- Rali Mampeule, CEO of Phadima Group Holdings:

“The new tech real estate business in the selling, leasing and buying of properties space will overtake the traditional sales and marketing companies in terms of overall values service to client and speed.”

· Presentation: How are IoT and the 4th Industrial revolution practically impacting the commercial, industrial and residential landscape - What is the impact on developers and investors in this area and are millennials changing the status quo for property development?

- Ms Laetitia Cook, Director, BiZense and Real Estate lecturer at the University of Pretoria:

“Rapid change is brought about by the 4th Industrial revolution, the Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence and the ability to analyse huge data lakes, as well as new technology such as Nano tech, Med Tech, Prop Tech etc. To us it may seem daunting but our customers, tenants, and future landlords are already comfortable in that space. We should not fear this wave of change. The old way of doing things will not solve the challenges we are facing now.”

The full interviews with these and other experts can be viewed on the event website: http://www.african-real-estate-summit.com/interviews

Utility Systems, an expert company in smart water management solutions, is the gold sponsor for the upcoming African Real Estate & Infrastructure Summit.

Property Buyer Show
During the same week as the African Real Estate & Infrastructure Summit, the award-winning Property Buyer Show also returns to Gauteng from 12-14 October at the Sandton International Convention Centre. The Property Buyer Show is a unique, proven format exhibition aimed at first-time residential property buyers or real estate investors and earlier this year won the AAXO ROAR Organiser and Exhibitor Award for the Best Consumer Exhibition 6000 sqm and under.

The African Real Estate & Infrastructure Summit was also voted Africa's best Confex (half conference, half exhibition) at the 2017 AAXO Roar Awards.

The summit and the Property Buyer Show are organised by the multi award-winning Spintelligent, well known for organising exhibitions and conferences across the continent in the infrastructure, energy, mining, agriculture and education sectors. Longstanding flagship events by Spintelligent include African Utility Week, Future Energy Nigeria (formerly WAPIC), Future Energy East Africa (formerly WAPIC), Agritech Expo Zambia, Kenya Mining Forum, Nigeria Mining Week, DRC Mining Week. Spintelligent is part of Clarion Events Ltd, based in the UK. 

Dates and location:
African Real Estate & Infrastructure Summit: 11-12 October 2018
Property Buyer Show expo: 13-14 October 2018
Location: Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg, South Africa

Websites: http://www.african-real-estate-summit.com/ & http://www.propertybuyershow.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ARES_Summit & https://twitter.com/propertyshowsa
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8518271

Media contact:
Senior communications manager:  Annemarie Roodbol
Telephone:  +27 21 700 3558
Email:  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Nedbank announces the Top 10 Innovators sourced from around the globe that they will connect to major corporates and business leaders in partnership with Silicon’s Valley’s Plug and Play, the world’s largest innovation platform, at this first of its kind event.

South Africa, 5 September 2018 – Nedbank recently announced the expansion of their US partnership with Plug and Play, the world’s largest innovation platform, to include South Africa for the first time. Together, the entities will connect 10 visionary entrepreneurs from around the world to business leaders at The Disruption Agenda to be held in Johannesburg, South Africa in September.

“We’re incredibly excited for the ten startups that are going to be part of The Disruption Agenda. The most important thing for Nedbank is to get pilots and experiments underway and push straight through to commercialization where possible,” states Stuart van der Veen, Head of Disruption and Innovation at Nedbank CIB. “We’ve engaged with our most forward-thinking clients and they will be participating in both the deal-flow sessions and be present at the actual pitches of the startups.”

Nedbank initiated their relationship with Plug and Play, described as the ultimate matchmaking machine between startups and corporates, two years ago as a sponsor of the global FinTech programme. Startups selected to engage at The Disruption Agenda represent both African and global startups from across industry sectors.

Startups selected for The Disruption Agenda

1.Koniku: Starts with the premise that biology is the most advanced technology on earth. Their belief is that Bio is Tech™. Koniku builds living machines with synthetic biology. Machines which can detect fake food, design taste, detect explosives, infectious diseases, cancers and more. Nature is our open source library. Currently, the company grafts custom proteins which act sensors on living cells – neurons - and encapsulate them within a silicon chip. The chips – Koniku Kore’s - will one day power the next generation of cognitive robots – synthetic cognition. 

2.Airware: Airware is the leading enterprise drone analytics company helping enterprises leverage today’s rapidly advancing technologies (such as drones, cloud computing, machine learning and more) to safely see and sense their sites and structures to improve productivity, mitigate risks, and take workers out of harm’s way. Airware enables enterprises to harness aerial data and turn it into valuable business insights that can be shared and acted on across sites, teams, and geographies. Their solutions enable enterprises to reinvent their organizations for the digital era by translating aerial data into business impact.

3.Sentiance: Sentiance analyses sensor data to understand human behavior and context so clients can develop new products and services that turn the Internet of Things (IoT) into the Internet of You. Sentiance context intelligence enables solutions for lifestyle-based insurance, contextual marketing and commerce, smart mobility, connected health, smart home, smart city and connected car. 

4.LifeQ: LifeQ implements a unique multidisciplinary approach underpinned by in-depth knowledge and understanding of human physiology and systems biology to extract and deliver relevant and meaningful person-specific digital biomarkers from various curated data sources. They are a world-leading science and technology company that want people from all walks of life to enjoy optimal health. LifeQ generates, and makes available, high-value personalized health information and solutions, which would traditionally be inaccessible or only obtainable through costly, invasive and inaccessible means, at a reliability level suitable for use by individuals, businesses, and clinical providers.

5.Wasteless: Wasteless is the world’s first machine-learning solution with real-time tracking for grocery stores looking to offer customers dynamic pricing based on a product’s expiration date. Wasteless takes machine learning capabilities used online and brings them to Brick and Mortar outlets. Tracking products at the item level, automating manual processes, and applying dynamic pricing have been the foundation of successful e-commerce platforms enabling them to substantially increase their profits. Wasteless allows supermarkets to close the gap and compete in the digital era.

6.Trueface AI: Trueface computer vision solutions augment any existing camera feed into intelligent, actionable data capable of identifying persons-of-interest, objects and more. Trueface AI provides facial recognition and spoof detection solutions for clients of all sizes. It provides an API, on-premise solution and a no-code solution for identity management. The Trueface mission is to educate on the benefits of computer vision and make it accessible for businesses looking for more unique and secure solutions.

7.Aerobotics: Aerobatics provides farmers around the world with world-leading pest and disease management systems for tree crop protection using drone and satellite data. Aerobotics’ software, Aeroview, empowers Tree Crop Farmers to identify early stage problems in their orchards. Used in conjunction with the Aerobotics’ Aeroview Scout App on their smartphone, farmers are able to locate problem areas on a tree-by-tree basis. Achieving success for over 6 million trees to-date, Aerobotics is setting the standard for tree crop analytics globally and innovating the agricultural processes as we know them.

8.What3Words: What3Words is a universal addressing system provides a precise and incredibly simple way to talk about location. They have divided the world into a grid of 3m x 3m squares and assigned each one a unique 3-word address. Better addressing can enhance customer experience, deliver business efficiency, drive growth and support social and economic development. It was the first system designed for voice and human interaction with machines.

9.Dispel: Dispel makes cloaking technology, rendering networked infrastructure and endpoints invisible and segmented, stopping attackers from gaining actionable knowledge usable in a cyberattack. Dispel cloaking is a secure overlay network in which applications can be deployed, or around which infrastructure can be concealed. They accomplish this cloaking through network-level Moving Target Defense: an orchestrated mass-virtualization and encryption technology designed to disrupt attacker's operations. An offensive, moving target defence stops attacks well ahead of older technologies. Dispel has established an industry-leading security program, ensuring customers have a high degree of confidence and trust in their stewardship of customer data and operations.

10.IoT.nxt: IoT.nxt has developed a world-leading framework that makes efficiencies, cost savings and increased revenue from IoT (Internet of Things) a reality for businesses. The IoT.nxt platform allows rapid deployment and businesses to action an Internet of Things strategy with little disruption to current operations.The major strength of the IoT.nxt framework is that the solution is technology-agnostic. They can help digitise any industry, any system and any process. IoT.nxt lays the foundation for rapid digitisation, creating agile, efficient, future-proofed businesses. They’ll help you create an interconnected, interoperable ecosystem without disrupting your business. 

“Some of the best startups in the world, when it comes to disruption, exist right here in South Africa. LifeQ, IoT.nxt and Aerobotics are proudly South African startups that will be participants in the event,” adds van der Veen, “one of the founders of Koniku is Nigerian who is now based in Berkeley in the United States. They’re the world’s first neurocomputation company, so essentially looking at neurons and genetically editing them to be able to detect small traces of substances, for example, explosives, illicit materials and even disease, anything a dog’s nose can sense.”

“Aerobotics is a Cape Town-based but global startup, now focusing on drone analytics, looking at agriculture and tree crops. So, from the startups attending The Disruption Agenda, we see massive value for clients as well as for the ecosystem at large.”

The 10 startups attending The Disruption Agenda are from across the globe, with half based in Silicon Valley, but their solutions are all applicable to the African continent. 

A Word From the Startups

"Africa deserves access to cutting-edge technology like everywhere else. Imagine being able to screen for any illness by breath alone. Personal and population health data at your fingertips using volatile organic compounds produced by the body,” comments Oshiorenoya Agabi, founder and CEO of Koniku. “At Koniku we believe any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from Nature. Using synthetic biology, we can build from the same building blocks as nature.”

“At LifeQ we saw the opportunity to leverage physiological data by bridging the gap between insights generated from limited access to expensive medical grade outputs and the easily accessible inexpensive consumable devices with their low efficacy outputs,” adds Dylan Garnett, COO of LifeQ, “I am very excited that LifeQ has been selected for Plug and Play as it will undoubtedly serve as a great platform to help identify and, along with others, address real needs that exist in South Africa and the broader African continent, thereby furthering LifeQ's vision of improving human health and wellbeing at scale.”The solutions built by these young innovators each demonstrate the importance of using tech to future-proof not only businesses but human lives, and how critical disruption across every industry is.

“Sentiance carries the company goal "Improving people’s lives using AI”. The technology is used today to help people live a healthier life and, amongst others, to reduce accidents. Our insights can be used by our customers to engage with their users and to improve their daily lives. Healthcare and insurance providers can, for example, provide lifestyle coaching and also detect and predict heart arrhythmia. Mobility and automotive companies can provide driver coaching and increase road safety and more. The Sentiance platform allows companies to engage with their end-users in a privacy-aware manner, at right time in the right moment, thereby improving the user’s quality of life and assisting in day to day tasks,” states Oliver Bath, Head of Client Services at Sentiance.

The Disruption Agenda is aimed at select clients and ecosystem collaborators.

To find out more you can follow Nedbank CIB social channels or get in contact by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..  

-- ENDS -- 

For more information about this press release please contact:

Mika Stanvliet | The This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | 081 534 6237 

About Nedbank Group
Nedbank Group is a bank holding company listed on JSE Limited (JSE) with a market capitalisation of R125 billion as at 30 June 2018. Nedbank Group is one of Africa’s largest banking groups.Its principal banking subsidiary is Nedbank Limited, and the group is 54% majority owned by Old Mutual Limited (OML), which has a primary listing on the JSE with secondary listings in London, Zimbabwe, Malawi, and Namibia. Nedbank Group owns subsidiaries and banks in Namibia, Swaziland, Malawi, Mozambique, Lesotho and Zimbabwe, and offshore in the Isle of Man, Guernsey and Jersey. It also has representative offices in other Southern Africa countries, including Angola and Kenya, and has key global financial centres to provide international banking services for SA-based multinational and high-net-worth clients in London, Toronto and Dubai (UAE).We are a diversified financial services provider, offering a wide range of wholesale and retail banking services, as well as insurance, asset management and wealth management solutions.

For more information, visit https://www.nedbank.co.za/ 

About Plug and Play:
Plug and Play is a global innovation platform. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, we have built accelerator programs, corporate innovation services, and an in-house VC to make technological advancement progress faster than ever before. Since inception in 2006, our programs have expanded worldwide to include a presence in over 20 locations globally giving startups the necessary resources to succeed in Silicon Valley and beyond. With over 6,000 startups and 220 official corporate partners, we have created the ultimate startup ecosystem in many industries.We provide active investments with 200 leading Silicon Valley VCs, and host more than 700 networking events per year. Companies in our community have raised over $7 billion in funding, with successful portfolio exits including Danger, Dropbox, Lending Club, PayPal, SoundHound, and Zoosk.

For more information, visit www.plugandplaytechcenter.com

Johannesburg, Gauteng – 9 July 2018 - American Founder of Pursue Your Purpose LLC and Forbes Coach, Tamiko Cuellar, will be launching a 4-city "Own Your Brilliance! Tour throughout South Africa and Namibia for aspiring and emerging women entrepreneurs from 11-20 August 2018 in honor of National Women's Month. The first-of-its-kind tour will be a series of Master Class workshops taught by Cuellar and are based on her 3rd book release, "Own Your Brilliance! - A Woman's Guide to Hiring Herself." Aspiring and emerging women are strongly encouraged to attend this event.

The tour will commence in Johannesburg on August 11th, then to Windhoek, Namibia on August 14th, to East London on August 18th, and end in Cape Town on August 20th. "South Africa and Namibia have some of the most talented and capable professional women who are seeking to be empowered to start or run their own businesses successfully. As an International Business Strategist, I am coming to help them get to their next level," says Cuellar. Attendees will leave inspired and equipped to own their brilliance and with ways they can prosper by using their gifts, talents, skills, and abilities on their own terms as entrepreneurs.

Notable sponsors including the University of South Africa (UNISA) and the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) have joined forces with this powerful event. East London-based firm Epitomely PRM, has also partnered with the event to market it in Eastern Cape and has brought on Cape Town based NGO Womandla as the official Corporate Social Initiative client so that a portion of the ticket proceeds can benefit the Womandla Foundation for women in Africa. Mamoyo Media House in Johannesburg is an official media partner of the event.

Details of the Master Class and registration can be found on the registration page.   A special opportunity for discounted coaching with Cuellar will be made available to a select number of women who register early. Spaces are limited.  During the Master Class, Cuellar will share her personal journey that inspired her to write the "Own Your Brilliance!" book and teach practical lessons and strategies from the book to equip women to run successful businesses.  A free copy of the e-book will be provided to every woman who registers for the event. Tamiko Cuellar is the CEO and Founder of Pursue Your Purpose LLC, a global coaching firm based in the U.S. for aspiring and emerging women entrepreneurs internationally. She is a member of the Forbes Coaches Council, a regular contributor to Forbes.com and a former Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship. A proven leader in the global marketplace,

Tamiko has been invited to speak at corporations, conferences, churches, on several radio and TV programs, and more. Cuellar coaches high performing, purpose driven women globally with strategies to transition into entrepreneurship and to grow their businesses. For more information on Cuellar and her company, visit the company website.

2018 marks ten years since the University of Johannesburg’s (UJ) Department of Jewellery Design and Manufacture (in the Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture), embarked on a new mission – to develop self-starting designers with a competitive advantage in the challenges of the 4th Industrial Revolution.

In that time, the programme has evolved and blossomed, through a focus on the production of original work, into one of the most advanced jewellery design programmes in the country.In collaboration with the UJ Art Gallery and UJ Arts & Culture, the University of Johannesburg’s Jewellery Department brings you our most innovative exhibition yet: The 300 Art Ornaments Exhibition. This is a showcase of all levels of student work, where the viewer has the unique experience of being able to contribute to the experiential learning of each student, while buying original and interesting jewellery pieces at affordable prices in all manner of different materials, and aesthetics. Three of the department’s well-respected alumni, Maryse Castel (of MYCreations), Reon Davids (designing for Zurie Designer Jewellery), and Cailin Ernst (of Cailin Ernst Handmade Designer Jewellery), will be adding their current work to the exhibition, allowing the viewer to see first-hand the progression of their unique design styles.

Joining this endeavour is the Thuthuka Jewellery Project, spearheaded by Carola Ross. Thuthuka introduces a fun and fresh opportunity for new and different designs from Further Education and Training (FET) colleges and skills development incubators around the country.

The exhibition will open at the UJ Art Gallery on the 16 May 2018 at 17:30 for 18:00, with an all-black and no jewellery dress code, and will then run until 30 May 2018, with opportunities for walkabouts with the curators.

For more information, please feel free to call the UJ Department of Jewellery Design and Manufacture on 011 559 1125 or the UJ Art Gallery on 011 559 2099/2556.

About UJ Arts & Culture

UJ Arts & Culture, a division of the Faculty of Art, Design & Architecture (FADA), produces and presents world-class student and professional arts programmes aligned to the UJ vision of an international university of choice, anchored in Africa, dynamically shaping the future. A robust range of arts platforms are offered on all four UJ campuses for students, staff, alumni and the general public to experience and engage with emerging and established Pan-African and international artists drawn from the full spectrum of the arts.

In addition to UJ Arts & Culture, FADA (www.uj.ac.za/fada) offers programmes in eight creative disciplines, in Art, Design and Architecture, as well as playing home to the NRF SARChI Chair in South African Art & Visual Culture, and the Visual Identities in Art & Design Research Centre. The Faculty has a strong focus on sustainability and relevance, and engages actively with the dynamism, creativity and diversity of Johannesburg in imagining new approaches to art and design education.  

Condriac’s data-focused approach to PR is changing the game 

As a progressive, future-thinking PR and Digital Marketing agency, Condriac’s approach to all work starts and ends with data. 

Data affords Condriac an unprecedented capacity to remain dynamic, agile and responsive to subtle changes in the way in which audiences respond to key messaging, creative concepts and value offerings. 

Traditionally, public relations has relied on time-tested methods of tailoring the development and execution of campaigns. These methods rely largely on data collection post-campaign launch, meaning insights and calibrations are only available once campaigns are already running for some time. While this outdated approach does have its merits as a process of learning about target audiences, Condriac has found that using carefully collected, statistically relevant data to guide PR campaign development from day one is a much more effective strategy. 

An argument may be made against this approach, in that it is perhaps too limiting or constraining on the potential scope and freedom afforded to creative and strategic processes. However, after years of using this data-centric approach for delivering profitable public relations campaigns, Condriac would argue that it is these very constraints that are largely responsible for their success. Knowing the specific interests, sensitivities and limitations of target audiences controls the focus, and as a result allows Condriac freedom to execute quickly, efficiently and most importantly, with confidence. 

Databases have been used to help identify potential areas of friction in demographics, audiences and focus groups for clients in a myriad of industries. Findings from digital-only campaigns are combined with empirical “in-the-field” data to attentively curate service offerings to current and future clients. This process enables a more personal, “in-house” approach to the relationships manage both with and for customers. 

In addition to the priceless value data provides us in the research, planning, execution and management of campaigns, another crucial area data aids us in is reporting. By basing reports on real, accurate data collected throughout a campaign’s lifecycle, our capacity to unearth insights for customers is magnified ten-fold. It is not unusual to discover information about client’s own customer that affects the very way their business is conducted going forward. This data enables clients to make the changes and improvements necessary for growth in their businesses, all while cutting costs and improving their focus on delivering valuable products and services to their own customers. 

In conclusion, in order to create dynamic, relevant, engaging, successful PR campaigns, simply follow the data. 

About Gary Meyer, Condriac’s Managing Partner

Gary is the founder and managing partner of Condriac. Gary boasts over 10 years’ experience in the industry and has worked on brands both locally and across Africa. He has a record of success in integrated digital marketing, social media and product launches for B2C consumer companies including Guinness, Hollard, Virgin Atlantic, Apple, Nintendo, TomTom, Microsoft and Dimension Data. Gary has created innovative online campaigns which have directly impacted brand awareness and reflected positive ROI. He offers unique expertise in the South African and African market through innovative strategies to resonate with consumers.

The Hollard Jozi Urban Mountain Bike Adventure, taking place at Marks Park on the 28th May 2017, is NOT your average mountain bike race. Naturally this means it comes some not so average prize categories! Here’s a breakdown of the prizes up for grabs in 2017. 

You don’t need to be a racing snake to ride the Hollard JUMA, but if the thought of carbon frames and podium finishes excites you, there is over R80 000 up for grabs in the race categories. For the 54km, prizes for Juniors up to Grand Masters, with a trophy and prizes for the Top Ten. For the 22km the there’s R6000 in total waiting for the top three.  For those in it, just for cleats and giggles, why not enter one of the following fun categories.  

For those who love riding with your saddle down low, the 54km BMX category for you! First BMX rider home on the 54km will shred their way to R3 000. If  you like big bikes (and you cannot lie…) we have R2000 to give away to the winner of the Fatboy / Girl bike category. And for those lean, mean single speed machines… the Single Speed category, where the winners can ride away with up to R2000 in prize money. 

Making it a family affair? Make some pocket money by entering the Parent & Child category, a total of R3000 to give to the winners of the 55km and up to R5000 for the 22km winners. 

Fancy yourself a bit of a Spielberg when it comes to single track? Why not enter the Best Rider video category; we have a whopping R5 000 up for grabs for both the 22 KM and 54 KM Best Rider Videos. Requirements: 3 – 4 minutes long. Must include music that best fits the Hollard JUMA and the sponsor’s logos.  For the corporates, it’s time to settle that office beef and do some good while you’re at it. The winners of the Fastest Corporate Team for both the 22km and 54km will receive R5 000, a trophy plus R5 000 to the charity of your choice!  

The Hollard JUMA is not your average mountain bike race and we want to see some out of the ordinary outfits. Winners of the Best Dressed Team, for the 22km and 54km, will sashay away with up to R3 000.  

And finally… first prize as always, whether you win or lose, just experiencing the Hollard JUMA on the 28th May 2017. Entries are open! Entry fees are R399 (ex VAT) for the 54km and R299 (ex VAT) for the 22km. Don’t miss your chance to experience a whole new kind of MTB race. Enter now at www.juma.co.za. 

Mud Buster powered by Kärcher South Africa will be cleaning your assets on the 28th May for FREE at the #HollardJUMA. Not only that, we are aiming to break the World Record for most bikes washed at one event! So book your spot online today http://bit.ly/2pFGI4E and take a clean bike home! #FearNoMud.

The Hollard Jozi Urban MTB Adventure and Hollard Jozi Urban Run Adventure are brought to by Hollard and BAM Specialist Events in partnership with Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo. Follow all the latest news and announcements via social media by following us on www.facebook.com/urbanmtb or on Twitter @JUMAMTB

At a time when the world seems at odds with itself, social enterprise JMBUSHA is challenging Africa to lead the way in peace and unity with a race that will not fill the streets, it will fill the record books. At its heart, the JM BUSHA 54 Races for Peace and Unity has an extraordinary vision: 54 countries, 54 races, all on Africa Day, all for peace and unity. In this, the inaugural year, the first of these races will take place in Zimbabwe on 25 May 2017 and in Johannesburg on 28 May 2017 and a third will take place in Kenya, later in the year.

JM BUSHA 54 Races for Peace and Unity is a citizen driven initiative, with aim of encouraging individuals to take responsibility for peace and such grow the movement. The objective of 54 Races is threefold; to educate and promote peace through sport; to engage and enroll individuals and institutions to actively promote and pledge peace, unity accountability and responsibility at all levels of society, organisations, and governments; and to raise money for the AU for peace keeping missions, mediation efforts and crisis management in Africa.  From a logistics perspective JMBUSHA aim to form partnerships with the different stakeholders in each country, including local government, sports clubs, churches and civil society organisations. Race Ambassadors – key individuals that exemplify the message of the 54 Races – and student ambassadors will play a strong role in the development and promotion of the race in their respective countries.

Through the student ambassadors programme JMBUSHA aims to incentivise student ambassadors to develop solutions to problems in their own countries with prize money available for the winning solution. “Our vision is to build peace in Africa and the entire world thereafter. How do we try to create the good society that we all seek? How do we as a people live together in our diversity and make sure we do not escalate the misunderstanding and equality that exists across the globe?” asks Mr. Joseph Makamba Busha, CEO of JMBUSHA and brainchild behind the JM BUSHA 54 Races for Peace and Unity movement. Partnered with City of Johannesburg and Central Gauteng Athletics, the Johannesburg race – the National Peace Pledge Marathon – will be hosted at Rand Stadium. This is a family event and there is a distance for everyone – 5km, 21km and the marathon (42km). For race queries please email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 011 844 0410 For more information visit www.jmbusha54.com

Race information Standard Fees
Temp License fee for the 21km is R25.00 42KM -R 160 21KM - R110 5KM -R 70

Entries can be made at the following stores
Sweat Shop Dunkeld, Jan Smuts Avenue - 011 325 2567  Sweat Shop Fourways Fourways Crossing - 011 467 5966  Sweat Shop Southdowns, Irene - 012 665 0048  Run-A-Way Sports, Lynnwood Road, Pretoria - 012 361 3738  Randburg Runner, Cnr 4th/5th Ave, Linden - 011 888 9644  Bedford Runner, Van Buuren Road, Bedfordview - 011 450 1847  CGA Office, Germiston Stadium

Start Times: 42km - 06:30 21km - 06:30 5km - 07:30 Race pack collection: 26 - 27 May from 09:00 - 17:30 at Rand Stadium, JHB For interview requests and access to high res photos please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or (011) 788 7632 and speak to Dee’s  Issued by JT Communication Solutions on Behalf of JM Busha - www.jmbusha54.com