Author: Gugu Lourie

The South African Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) has joined efforts to save thousands of jobs at Cell C. The Information Communications and Technology Union (ICTU) and African Democratic Change (ADEC) party have been in a public fight with Cell C over its plans to retrench 1,500 workers. Saftu deputy general secretary, Moleko J Phakedi, said in the letter to Cell C: “We herewith wish to propose an urgent meeting with you either on Friday 10th or Monday 12th October at 11:00 at your Woodmead office.” ICTU is an affiliate of Saftu, which is led by union firebrand Zwelinzima Vavi.…

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The African Democratic Change (ADEC) party has demanded that Cell C shuts its stores today. The demand follows the breakdown of talks between management at Cell C and representatives of thousands of workers, who are facing retrenchment. Cell C earlier announced plans to retrench 1,500 workers. The embattled cellphone company also said it intends to close down 150 stores. ADEC says it wrote to the CEO of Cell C Douglas Craigie Stevenson and requested a meeting to discuss proposals to save jobs. The political party said it never received any response from the company. Spurned, members of ADEC and the Information Communications and…

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Vodacom and Lesotho government are to lock horns over the mobile operator’s operating licence, which has been revoked by small Southern Africa’s landlocked country. The Lesotho Communications Authority (LCA) has revoked the unified license. The authority has imposed a staggering fine of M134 million for Vodacom’s alleged contravention of section 97 of the Companies Act 2011 and certain conditions of its unified license. Vodacom said in a statement that it would lodge an urgent application in the High Court in Lesotho to have it reviewed and set aside the decisions of the Lesotho Communications Authority.  “We have no option but…

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Liquid Telecom is embarking on another retrenchment exercise two months after the largest fibre company in Africa announced it was undergoing a “strategic repositioning”. The strategic repositioning has already resulted in the retrenchment of 100 workers in August. Although the fibre company is delivering a good set of financial results, it still plans to retrench more workers. In the year ended 29 February 2020, Liquid Telecom reported revenue growth of 17.5% to $795.7 million (R13.2 billion), while earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) rose 15.7%. “The company is of the preliminary view that it is not competitive in…

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JSE-listed Blue Label Telecoms is to seek an urgent court interdict to stop members of the Information Communication and Technology Union (ICTU) from protesting outside its headquarters in Sandton. This is according to a notice of motion and founding affidavit seen by TechFinancials.   Since Tuesday this week, the union has been protesting against retrenchments, parallel restructuring, and recapitalisation by Cell C. For more read: UNION THREATENS TOTAL SHUT DOWN OF CELL C OVER PROPOSED JOB CUTS   ICTU is an affiliate of the South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU), which is led by Zwelinzima Vavi.   The union represents about 1,300…

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The new BMW 128ti is positioned between the BMW 120i and the range-topping BMW M135i xDrive. With its specially tuned M Sport suspension and Torsen limited-slip differential, the new BMW 128ti sets its sights on the Volkswagen Golf GTI. The BMW 128ti will be made available to the South African market in the first quarter of 2021. The BMW 128ti carries over firmer anti-roll bars and anti-roll bar mounts with high preloads from the BMW M135i xDrive. Stiffer springs and shock absorbers adapted accordingly to provide excellent driving dynamics. In addition, the front-wheel-drive 128ti is around 80 kilograms lighter than the…

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The dynamic new Jaguar XF gets a new look with seamlessly integrated, connected and future-proof technologies. The executive saloon has received a refined look on the outside, plus some much-needed updates inside. The exterior features a new front bumper with larger and lower air intakes for increased visual width. This visual width is enhanced by a wider front grille featuring a mesh design detail inspired by Jaguar’s heritage logo. The side fender vents now feature the iconic Leaper emblem, demonstrating the exceptional attention to detail found right across the vehicle. The XF has an all-new interior with a heightened luxury,…

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Vivendi SA’s Canal+ buys a stake in pay-TV operator MultiChoice, the company informed investors on Monday. MultiChoice disclosed on the JSE that Canal+ has acquired 6.5% stake in the company. “As a publicly held company, MultiChoice regularly engages with its strategic partners and maintains an open dialogue with the investment community,” MultiChoice said. “The group’s policy is not to comment on its individual shareholders nor on its interactions with them. The company remains committed to acting in the best interests of all shareholders and to create sustainable long-term shareholder value.”  Canal+ Group, the pay-TV subsidiary of France’s Vivendi,  is “evolving from an…

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The Information Communication Technology Union (ICTU) has threatened to shut down Cell C after the embattled mobile phone operator failed to reach an agreement with the union. ICTU has filed an urgent application at the Johannesburg Labour Court to stop embattled Cell C from carrying out processes that could lead to the retrenchment of workers. Cell C is facing off with the ICTU at the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation, and Arbitration (CCMA) regarding retrenchments. The ICTU, which is an affiliate of the South African Federation of Trade Unions led by Zwelinzima Vavi, is the sole worker representative at Cell C. The union…

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The Information Communication Technology Union (ICTU) has filed an urgent application at the Johannesburg Labour Court to stop embattled Cell C from carrying out processes that could lead to the retrenchment of workers. Cell C is facing off with the ICTU at the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation, and Arbitration (CCMA) regarding retrenchments. The ICTU, which is an affiliate of the South African Federation of Trade Unions led by Zwelinzima Vavi, is the sole worker representative at Cell C. TechFinancials is reliably informed that ICTU filed the papers at the court yesterday. However, sources close to the matter say the urgent application…

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