IMPROVING LIVES THROUGH DATA ECOSYSTEMS

After every five years, the national and provincial elections take place where South Africans elect their preferred President and the five-year-term for cabinet ministers elapses. On 08 May 2019 marked the 5th democratic elections and saw Cyril Ramaphosa being unanimously elected as the president of South Africa. A few days after his swearing in, President   read more »

On 8 May 2019, millions of South Africans braved the cold and wet weather and headed to the polls to cast their votes in the country’s sixth democratic elections. The excitement across the country was so tangible that President Cyril Ramaphosa said the 2019 elections were reminiscent of the country’s first democratic elections in 1994.   read more »

Freedom Day is a public holiday in South Africa celebrated on 27 April each year. On this day in 1994, South Africa had the first national and non-racial elections where South African citizens of voting age of over 18 years from any race group were allowed to vote. Previously, under the apartheid government, non-whites in   read more »

In the past few months, many companies such as hotels, restaurants and coffee shops started switching from plastic straws to paper straws as a response to the public outcry demanding action against the continued use of plastic straws. Even though this small straw may not seem like a lot at first, when its usage is   read more »

Languages play a vital role in human lives as a tool of communication, education, development and it is the foundation for each person’s unique identity, cultural history, traditions and memory. Despite their huge value, languages around the world continue to vanish at a worrying rate. In trying to protect and raise awareness of indigenous languages,   read more »

South Africa commemorates National Disability Rights Awareness Month from 3 November to 3 December annually, with National Disability Rights Awareness Day celebrated on 3 December. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), disability refers to impairments, activity limitations, and participation restrictions. An impairment may be physical, cognitive, mental, sensory, emotional or developmental and may be   read more »

After recording two consecutive quarters of negative gross domestic product (GDP) growth in the first and second quarter of 2018, South Africa’s economy has slipped into a technical recession. One of the negative contributors to the GDP growth was transport, contributing -4,9 percentage points. However, there is still hope for the industry, especially since October   read more »

September is Albinism Awareness Month. During this month, the Department of Health provides information on albinism to make people more aware of what this condition entails and to highlight myths and superstitions regarding people with albinism. Albinism is an inherited condition where a person is unable to produce normal colouring of the skin (lack of   read more »

August is known to South Africans as Women’s Month as the country commemorates and pays tribute to the more than 20 000 women who marched to the Union Buildings on 9 August 1956 in protest against the extension of Pass Laws to women. The government of South Africa declared August as Women’s Month and 9   read more »

This year, 2018, marks the centenary (the 100-year anniversary) of the birth of former South African president Nelson Mandela, as well as Albertina Sisulu. This provides a unique opportunity for people around the world to reflect on Mandela’s life and times, and to promote his legacy. The Reserve Bank of South Africa has taken this   read more »