Weekend Argus Sunday

wesley.diphoko wesley.diphoko@inl.co.za The US has lost the war on Huawei. The Chinese tech giant will introduce its own operating system on Wednesday. When the US government, under former president Donald Trump, tried to destroy Huawei, the company responded by innovating. The US ban on Huawei almost wiped out its cellphone business. Part of the ban focused on parts developed in the US or by its partners as well as its operating system, Android, which is partly developed by Google. The operating system ban was probably the most lethal as it meant that Huawei could not confidently produce cellphones into the future as these would not be supported by Android. But the company was not shaken. Instead, it developed its own operating system, the HarmonyOS. HarmonyOS, known as Hongmeng in Chinese,…

THE END OF MUSICA In January, Clicks announced it would shut down its entertainment brand Musica in South Africa on May 31. At the time, Musica was trading at 59 outlets, but Clicks was closing stores as their leases expired. The last Musica store has now been closed, which signals the end of an era. In celebration of Global Accessibility Awareness Day observed on May 20, Vodacom is launched the Nokia 2720 – a smartphone designed to provide greater access for senior citizens, people living with disabilities, and those who experience other communication barriers. Google will be opening its first physical retail store in New York this year. Customers will be able to browse and buy products made by the tech company, ranging from Pixel phones to Nest products,…

Dieketseng Maleke dieketseng.maleke@inl.co.za EOH was once a leading technology company in South Africa. It was small yet it managed to land a R210 million lucrative tender from the SAPS in April 2016. Five years later, that massive contract is the centre of testimony at the Zondo commission. Law firm ENSafrica’s head of forensics, Steven Powell, who was hired by EOH chief executive Stephen van Coller to investigate activities at EOH Mthombo between 2014 and 2017, testified that EOH executives allegedly tried to move R42.5m using two sub-contractors. EOH Mthombo is the subsidiary of EOH. Powell’s testimony revealed that EOH paid R1m to business lobbyist, George Sebulela. Sebulela is allegedly one of the people associated with extracting millions of rand from EOH after the company scored large public sector contracts. He…

Edward West edward.west@inl.co.za PLUMBERS in South Africa are at loggerheads, with two organisations facing off about the very legitimacy of the person you call in to fix your pipes or geyser. The Inclusive Plumbing Association (IPA), which claims to have some 900 members, has raised the alarm over the hijacking of the technical standards, certification and skills requirement of the trade that is controlled by the Plumbing Industry Registration Board (PIRB), a non-statutory association. IPA chairperson Geoff Snelling said the PIRB had somehow managed to get the SA Bureau of Standards (SABS) to include membership of PIRB, including its requirement that its members earn Continuous Professional Development (CPD) points to meet the technical standards and certification requirements rewuired by all valid plumbers. Snelling said this amounted to plumbers being…

Ben Bierman MAINTAINING a constant stream of cashflow is a common challenge that many businesses experience. Strategic business partnerships involving a barter exchange (the direct exchange of goods and services for other goods or services) can, however, be a great alternative solution for preserving much-needed working capital. If done correctly, a barter system can help less established businesses save their capital, while having access to some of the goods and services that are essential to their operations. These types of exchange agreements can also form the foundation of valuable, long-term partnerships between growing companies. It’s worth exploring ways to best manage barter exchanges so that they can help sustain your business as it grows. Tips for negotiating barter exchanges include: Know your real costs It’s important to understand exactly…

Louis Fourie EACH industrial revolution had a major impact on transportation, progressing from horse-drawn carts to trains and, eventually, cars and planes. The Fourth Industrial Revolution is no exception, with a change from hardware-defined cars to software-enabled transportation platforms. As with many other 21st century products, software is transforming the capabilities of our cars. More and more automotive innovations, such as advanced driver-assistance, intuitive infotainment, high-end onboard assistants, automated and self-driving abilities, intelligent body and comfort control, programmable ambient lighting, mapping, car and energy performance, and telematics are software-driven rather than hardware-designed. Integrated modules and ecosystem Typically, new-generation vehicle software consists of several domains with hundreds of functional components in the car and in the cloud. The various modules, like infotainment, advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) and mapping, are developed…