After what was a remarkably civil Friday in Parliament for SONA 2018, members are back in the house today to debate President Cyril Ramaphosa's SONA 2018. We can almost guarantee that the likes of Mmusi Maimane, Julius Malema and the rest of the opposition will have lots to say. (And everyone on the below list too). Live at 10am, Joint Sitting Debate on the State of the Nation Address #SONADebate #SONA2018 . Watch on ParliamentTV #DSTV408 pic.twitter.com/EUptgH9Tti — Parliament of RSA (@ParliamentofRSA) February 19, 2018 Catch the live Parliamentary stream on YouTube below, and budget about three hours of your day to enjoy...
Would you believe it, the State of the Nation address (SONA) actually kicked off on time for once, with President Cyril Ramaphosa delivering it for the first time. But what were some of the highlights? And more importantly, what did Twitter find most exciting? Here we go. "The calm before it starts," tweets @ParliamentZA, well before proceedings began. WATCH: The calm before it all starts. With Just 7 hours to go until #SONA2018 - final preparations are underway in front of the National Assembly where President Cyril Ramaphosa will deliver the State of the Nation Address pic.twitter.com/VIrvzouUoi — SA Gov News (@SAgovnews) February 16,...
We've had to wait a few extra days, but tonight South Africans will finally receive a State of the Nation Address (SONA) from its President, albeit not the one they've enjoyed for nearly a decade. Newly-elected President Cyril Ramaphosa will begin his speech at 7pm tonight (if the EFF behave), after the pomp and ceremony that most of us have come to enjoy. Watch Cyril Ramaphosa's first SONA as the President of South Africa below But for those who are working late or don't have access to television coverage, Parliament's always-entertaining YouTube channel has already primed its livestream for viewing. At the moment...
Welcome to The Weekly Roundup podcast, where the Burn Media team chats the latest in tech and startup news! This week, Hadlee Simons hosts Andy Walker and Julia Breakey. This week the team talk resignations, Rwanda, and really average phones The team starts out with the topic on every South African's lips: President Jacob Zuma's resignation. With all the punditry experience that social media provides, we discuss how we feel, what it means for social media, and vaguely reference Thabo Mbeki's role in political party Cope. Julia would like it noted here that her assertion that Mbeki was involved in the foundation of Cope stems...
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has shared the "last pic" of his cherry-red Tesla roadster hurting towards the Asteroid Belt, after it was launched into space on Tuesday. The launch itself was historic, giving SpaceX claim to the most powerful operational rocket, the Falcon Heavy. "Last pic of Starman in Roadster enroute to Mars orbit and then the Asteroid Belt," he wrote on Instagram. Last pic of Starman in Roadster enroute to Mars orbit and then the Asteroid Belt A post shared by Elon Musk (@elonmusk) on Feb 7, 2018 at 2:00pm PST And with the caption, he included an image taken looking down...
Welcome to The Weekly Roundup, Burn Media's podcast that rounds up the latest in tech and startup news. This week, Andy Walker hosts Julia Breakey and Daniel Mpala in studio. On this week's podcast, the team talk emoji, triple-camera phones, and a South African blockchain success First on the agenda are the 157 new emoji heading to smartphones this year, including options for redheads, bald heads, and superheroes. Daniel then discusses the Johannesburg-based blockchain surveillance startup Faceter, which claims it raised over US$10-million in 20 seconds during a sale. If accurate, it could be South Africa’s fastest and most successful token presale. And finally, Andy tells us...
February has not been a good month for Bitcoin traders, or traders of any cryptocurrency for that matter. According to CoinMarketCap's figures at the time of writing, Bitcoin's value has fallen by nearly 16% in the past 24 hours, hitting a new three month low. It will now set you back just US$6704 to purchase 1 BTC, this compared to its peak of nearly US$20 000 in December 2017. Overall, its market cap has also fallen to US$112-billion, while the cryptocurrency market cap as a whole is below US$300-billion once again. This is a far cry from the late 2017 value surge. But...
Cape Town's humans are eagerly seeking new, reliable water sources, but what of its animals? A video published to Facebook this week tells a rather adorable story of how an Egyptian goose found water... from the hand of a Clifton beachgoer. Published on Joel Graham's page, the clip isn't very long, but does show him cupping his hand, throwing water from a bottle into it, and allowing the goose to drink from the makeshift bowl. "An Egyptian Goose landed on Clifton beach. We calmly approached each other. I offered water for her to drink. She drank then she flew off," he wrote. The...
If you're one of the many Capetonians who recently bought all available five litre bottles of water at your local convenience store, perhaps this article will interest you. Besides using less than 50 litres of water per day, here's how else you can help the city overcome its water crisis challenge. WISA calls for volunteers The Water Institute of South Africa (WISA), a non-profit that aims to "promote professional excellence in the water sector", is calling for South Africans to donate their time, empty bottles or any other mode of support to the Cape Town water crisis. "South Africans are known as uniquely...
Earlier this month, we uncovered a novel advertising campaign subverting Donald Trump's "shithole countries" remark. We thought it was pretty damn funny. And it seems that the world largely agrees. Published on Namibian rapper EES's YouTube channel and commissioned by the Gondwana Collection, the video gives viewers a tour of Namibia's "shithole" attractions, including the country's host of wildlife and natural beauty. It has now been viewed over 89 000 times on EES's channel, and more than 476 000 times on Gondwana Collection's. In a press release analytics firm Meltwater explained that more than 1000 articles were penned about the video, with...
Remember when Eskom's load shedding was the worst of our worries? While working electronics were as rare in 2015 as a full dam is in 2018, there was one positive: apps were developed to help keep South Africans informed. Although Cape Town's current water crisis hasn't birthed too many apps in response, there are some examples. And these apps can be used to help bring your water consumption under control, or at least keep abreast of developing news. South African Water Levels (Android) Developed by Rhys Williams, this app does exactly what it says on the tin. It lists all provinces (including...
Facebook Marketplace is now available in South Africa... for some. Taking on the likes of OLX and Gumtree, Marketplace will allow users to formally buy and sell goods on the social network. From today for a select number of users, Facebook will boast a Marketplace icon in its navigation bar. Clicking it will take users to a page where they can browse goods, or put goods up for sale. According to the company, around 550-million users purchase and sell products on the social network. Anyone with a Facebook account can used the service, and it will require the usual information: an image of...
There's a brand new official version of WhatsApp, but it won't be replacing the current green-icon messenger you know and love. Instead, the Facebook-owned service has today launched WhatsApp Business -- an app that "will make it easier for companies to connect with customers" and can be installed alongside the default app. The reason for a distinct business app is simple. The messaging service claims in a blog post that the original app -- now harbouring over 1.3-billion users -- "was built for people" and not companies. WhatsApp Business largely addresses these issues, giving companies more room in their profiles to include...
Update: The issue that affected a large number of Vodacom users across Johannesburg has been resolved, the company tweeted. We have resolved the issue where customers in Gauteng were unable to make calls earlier this morning. We apologise for the inconvenience this caused. — Vodacom (@Vodacom) January 19, 2018 Original article: If you're in and around Johannesburg this morning, on the Vodacom network and can't make or receive calls, you're not the only one. The service provider is today aware of and addressing connectivity issues around South Africa's economic hub. Users on Twitter reported issues early Friday, complaining that calls cannot be placed --...
We've seen a slew of celebrities hitting Cape Town's shores this holiday season, and vlog pioneer Casey Neistat was no exception. The New York-based YouTuber's latest video tells the story of his family's journey from New York to Cape Town, connecting through Doha and Johannesburg. And while watching Neistat's little one running around the plane untamed is entertaining, the video -- for Capetonians at least -- only really begins about four minutes in. "Travel is never easy. It was fun being together as a family. And now we are at our favourite place -- Cape Town," Neistat captions in the video, fronting...
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