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18
Jan 2010 |
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Vodacom is under increased pressure to publicise the findings of a forensic report into alleged financial irregularities and violations of corporate governance, with the Communications Workers Union (CWU) expected to hold a meeting today to discuss ways of forcing the cellphone company's hand on this matter. Vodacom has refused to produce the report despite a Labour Court subpoena issued on January 8 ordering it to do so. Aubrey Tshabalala, the deputy chairman of CWU in Gauteng, said the union believed that... |
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18
Jan 2010 |
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COMMUNICATIONS director-general Mamodupi Mohlala has allegedly spent nearly half-a-million rands of taxpayers money in an investigation which may recover just over R3 000 for the department, City Press has established. This is interest the department could have earned from a R152 000 advance payment to its suspended chief director for human resources, Basani Baloyi, in 2008. And Mohlala wants the whole R3 616.39 recovered from Baloyi because she failed to reconcile spending on return from official overseas... |
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18
Jan 2010 |
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Telecommunications operator Neotel has indicated that the uptake of its international bandwidth capacity, provided through sub-marine fibre-optics cables, has "far exceeded" its forecasts. "This bodes well for any new international capacity, such as that of the Eastern African Submarine System (Eassy)," said Neotel technology executive head Dr Angus Hay. "The demand for this international capacity has been much higher than anticipated, which proves there is a definite need for all the international cables... |
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18
Jan 2010 |
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Local loop unbundling will allow competition, which in turn will reduce telecoms pricing, says ISPA GM, Ant Brooks. The Internet Service Providers' Association of SA (ISPA) has called on national telecoms regulator, ICASA, to confirm whether it's on track to meet the November 2011 deadline for the unbundling of the local loop. Unbundling of the local loop is a regulatory process which allows telecom providers to use connections from within the Telkom core network to the customer's premises. ISPA GM, Ant ... |
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17
Jan 2010 |
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Among the charges levelled against Knott-Craig snr are that his son, Alan Knott-Craig jnr, was given office space and millions of rands to build and promote his businesses; that a company owned by his niece and nephew, and which was on the verge of bankruptcy, was awarded an exclusive multi-million three-year marketing and advertising contract without a proper tender process and that he arranged for Vodacom to pay tens of thousands of rands for a call centre employee to be trained as a magician. Knott-Craig... |
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17
Jan 2010 |
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Vodacom shareholders decided to take no action against former CEO Alan Knott-Craig following a forensic report into nepotism allegations, the company said on Sunday. An "independent report" was commissioned by Vodacom shareholders - Telkom and Vodafone - in 2008 to investigate accusations made by "several former employees", company spokesperson Richard Boorman told Sapa. The Sunday Times reported a KPMG forensic audit report was compiled after two former Vodacom employees made accusations that former CEO... |
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15
Jan 2010 |
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South Africa's internet usage jumped 15 percent last year, taking the number of users to 5.3 million and fuelling optimism 6 million users could be online by the end of the year. This could reap spinoffs for online-based businesses able to convert those internet users into online shoppers. Although the growth was significant, South Africa still lags behind Nigeria, Egypt and Morroco in connections. These countries have an average high-speed internet penetration rate of 22.8 per 100 inhabitants, according to... |
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15
Jan 2010 |
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Residents of Craigavon in Fourways, north of Johannesburg, have vowed to fight wireless broadband provider iBurst to the bitter end over a base station they claim is harming their health. Tracey-Lee Dorny, who is spearheading an initiative to have the iBurst tower removed, says the residents will not back down, despite claims this week by iBurst that it has proved that the tower is not responsible for the health problems they have experienced. TechCentral visited the base station on Friday with Dorny... |
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15
Jan 2010 |
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Fourways residents are still keen to head to court, despite claims by iBurst that one of its towers could not have caused health problems. Residents have attributed a host of illnesses, such as skin rashes, headaches, vomiting, sleep disorders, fatigue, upset stomachs and tinnitus, to the mast. The tower, which is adjacent to Fourways Memorial Park, in Craigavon, was turned on last August. However, iBurst CEO Jannie van Zyl says the tower could not have caused the illnesses, as it has actually been switched... |
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14
Jan 2010 |
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Wireless provider iBurst could find itself in court to defend claims by Fourways residents that one of its towers is making them ill. Residents have been complaining that they have been ill with skin rashes, headaches, vomiting, sleep disorders, fatigue, upset stomachs and tinnitus. The tower, which is adjacent to Fourways Memorial Park, was turned on last August. However, despite iBurst denying the claims, the residents are now in the process of lodging objections against the tower's construction. Lawyers... |
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14
Jan 2010 |
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What would have been only a R500 spot fine, became five charges against a woman who allegedly refused to stop when Johannesburg metro police wanted to pull her over because she was talking on her cellphone. Dalene Fordham, 46, on Thursday appeared briefly in the Johannesburg Magistrate's Court on charges of reckless or negligent driving, resisting arrest, crimen injuria, assault with intent to inflict grievous bodily harm and intentional injury to property. According to Wayne Minnaar, spokesperson for the... |
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13
Jan 2010 |
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Joburg is getting connected. Tuesday saw the launch of Bwired, a company which is set to provide the city with affordable broadband Internet. As worldwide broadband becomes increasingly important to economic growth and the delivery of government services, the City of Gold has realised the need to provide its citizens with this essential tool. Bwired was formed after Ericsson South Africa was awarded the R1-billion Joburg Broadband Network Project last year. The vision is to establish a city-wide high-speed... |
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7
Jan 2010 |
Holiday provides for great alcohol sales and excessive drunk-dialing.
Mobile operators plan to increase capacity for the anticipated surge in traffic during the World Cup, says analyst Richard Hurst. Local mobile operators saw an overall increase in voice calls this festive season, as the recession did not deter users from connecting with family and friends. SA's third mobile operator, Cell C, saw its voice traffic double on Christmas Day, to reach 40 million calls. This is a substantial increase from the 24 million calls that went out on 25 December 2008. In addition, Cell C... |
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6
Jan 2010 |
Trouble never seems to take a holiday, does it.
Telecommunications group Vodacom on Wednesday confirmed that talks have broken down between itself and its partner in the DRC, Congolese Wireless Network (CWN), over funding disputes. In a statement released on Wednesday, Vodacom said CWN is threatening legal action to force it to invest more money in the joint venture, Vodacom Congo. Vodacom Congo is 51pct owned by Vodacom and 49pct by CWN. CWN has threatened court action against Vodacom in the past on repatriation of profits from Vodacom Congo, as well as... |
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5
Jan 2010 |
Nothing like some wholesome legal action to get the year started.
Former MTN SA senior manager Brian Seligmann, who left the mobile operator late last year, is taking the company to court, demanding almost R1m in severance pay he says is being withheld from him. Seligmann, who is joining MTN rival Cell C on 11 January as executive head of products and innovation, was senior manager for data at MTN. In that role, he was responsible for developing the companys 3G products, pricing and strategy. He was at MTN for eight years. He says his lawyer has prepared papers, which ... |
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