New trends in the world of mobile technology

[Kevin Bassett] Suddenly, new mobile technology is in focus. Marketers are scrambling to get a handle on both mobi and micro sites, m-twitter and foursquare, while wondering what other new developments are trending. Read more >>

South Africa key market for Kraft Foods

The combination with Cadbury in 2010 gives Kraft Foods a much larger footprint in South Africa and, according to the president, Developing Markets, Sanjay Khosla, the country has been added to the roster of 10 priority developing markets that will receive disproportionate investment. The formation of the local company Kraft Foods South Africa, which took place in March 2011, will debut with a new chocolate and chewing gum product onto the South African market. Read more >>

CPI rises to 4.1% in March

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose to 4.1% in March - well above market expectations. Read more >>

Last call for Women of the Year Award

The Shoprite Checkers Women of the Year Award closes for nominations on Friday 29 April 2011. Nominations in any of the five categories: Health Care-Givers; Educators; Socio-Economic Business Developers; Good Neighbours Against Crime; and Youth Movers, should be submitted to www.womenoftheyear.co.za or emailed to womenoftheyear@shoprite.co.za.

AllPay gets new MD

Edmund Jeneker, who has been the GM with the Absa Entry Level Banking team for the past year, has been appointed as MD of AllPay, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Absa group, which manages mobile payment of social grants and provides financial and other services through innovative solutions to its target market. Read more >>

Tiger Brands to acquire Status assets

Branded fast-moving consumer packaged goods company Tiger Brands said earlier today, Thursday 21 April 2011, that it had entered into an agreement to acquire the Status trademarks and related intellectual property, including finished goods stock of the male deodorant brand from Unilever plc and Unilever SA. Read more >>

SAPOA seeks clarity on Consumer Protection Act

Property practitioners, rental agents and brokers have been urged to err on the side of caution until questions regarding property leases and the new Consumer Protection Act have been resolved. Read more >>

New social buying site opens

Adding to the social buying sites in South Africa, is Skoop.co.za, which offers consumers a means to club together to secure bigger discounts on their favourite products and services and offers businesses a risk-free way to promote offers. Read more >>

Energy conference, expo for Johannesburg

The Petro.t.ex Africa exhibition and conference takes place 7-9 June 2011 at Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand, Johannesburg. Coinciding with the expo, Forecourt Africa, WaterTec Africa and Pumps, Valves & Pipes Africa will run alongside the event. Read more >>

Gugulethu Wine Festival gets lead sponsor, winemaker in attendance

The first major wine show to held in a Cape Town township, the Gugulethu Wine Festival, has Nederburg as the lead wine sponsor of its debut. To be held on the weekend of 27-28 May 2011, on the roof of the Gugulethu Square Mall, the event is hosted by high-profile local entrepreneurs Mzoli Ngcawuzele and Lungile Mbalo from Mzoli's Place. Read more >>

Debating economics, ecosystems

The Green Building Conference and Exhibition, which takes place 13-14 July 2011 at the Sandton Convention Centre, will address the conflict between the need to preserve ecological systems versus the need to use land for development and building. This debate will be explored in greater detail by Eamonn O'Rourke, project manager at Strategic Environmental Focus, one of the speakers at the conference. Knowledge and content will be presented by means of international and local experts, exhibitors and collaborative design sessions, which will progress from theory and general understanding to practical implementation. The event expects approximately 700 delegates and over 100 exhibitors. For more information, go to www.greenbuilding.co.za.

Ban on meat lifted

Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson yesterday, 19 April 2011, announced the lifting of a ban on meat from regions affected by the recent outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease. Read more >>

New competition awards exceptional wine service, knowledge

The Bollinger Exceptional Wine Service Award is a newly established annual competition, aimed at encouraging those who seek to make a living from wine service. Screening and the first round of the competition will occur at regional level, with semi-finalists being flown to Cape Town in September 2011 for the final assessment. Read more >>

On-pack promotions still relevant

At a time when brands face competition for consumer attention and cut back on above-the-line advertising to save costs, they should not ignore the potential of on-pack promotions for increasing sales and market share. Read more >>

Commission withdraws case against Clover, Parmalat, others

The Competition Commission has withdrawn its case against Clover Industries Limited and Clover SA, Nestle SA, Parmalat and Ladismith Cheese, the remaining respondents in its long running prosecution of the milk processors that started in December 2006. Read more >>

Bizcommunity.com makes three senior appointments

Bizcommunity.com has made three senior appointments as it begins to roll out its 2011 expansion strategy. Read more >>

Freight transport income rises 11.2% y/y

Income from freight transportation increased by 6.6 billion rand or 11.2% year on year (y/y) in February, Stats SA reported on Monday, 18 April 2011. Read more >>

comScore introduces Total Universe Report

RESTON, US: comScore, Inc, a leader in measuring the digital world, has announced the beta release of the comScore Media Metrix Total Universe report, which provides audience measurement for 100% of a site's traffic, including usage via mobile phones, apps, tablets and shared computers such as Internet cafes. Read more >>

Property Radar

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA: During a time of unprecedented economic uncertainty, compounded by rate rises from all of the major banks in Australia, the finance industry was suffering from negative consumer perceptions, particularly across the home loan category. Read more >>

France Telecom & Deutsche Telekom marry for the money

[Thomas Wehmeier] PARIS, FRANCE / BERLIN, GERMANY: In the first concrete announcement since their statement of intent to cooperate earlier this year, France Telecom and Deutsche Telekom announced on 18 April 2011, the establishment of a procurement joint venture that will oversee almost US$13 billion* in combined annualised spend between the two groups. Read more >>

Cannes Creative Leaders awards bursaries

LONDON, UK: The Cannes Creative Leaders Programme will once again take place in June following the success of last year's programme. Read more >>

Ladies pick their favourite cars

[Henrie Geyser: motoring editor] Not only in South Africa was the coveted Car of the Year title shared between two cars (BMW and VW) but women journalists all over the world have just chosen two cars to share the 2011 Women's World Car of the Year title with the honours going to the BMW 5 Series and the Citroen DS3. Read more >>

Diesel adds venom to Audi A8

[Henrie Geyser: motoring editor] Audi has injected some extra venom into its creamy comfortable flagship A8 range with the addition of a new petrol engine and two new diesel engines, including a big daddy V8. Read more >>

Check those trailers and caravans too before Easter

Most caravans, boats and trailers don't see much action during the year. In fact, it's often only around holiday time that they are rolled off their patch of grass and hooked up to go - but after standing so long, chances are their wheels are no longer in good shape. So before you go off on your Easter break, check! And that applies to any holiday by road you are going on any time during the year. Read more >>

Tourism Business Index reports worse than expected results for the first quarter of 2011

Results of the second TBCSA FNB Tourism Business Index (TBI) show that the level of tourism business activity was significantly lower than was expected, in the first quarter of 2011. Read more >>

R1.4 billion tourism prize for Table Mountain success

An independent impact report has predicted a R1.4 billion annual tourism bonanza for South Africa if Table Mountain is named one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature. Read more >>

Heart Holiday Murray

[Ruth Cooper] I pretty much fell in love with Holiday Murray at first sight and sound, encountering them the first time as support band for The Plastics album launch at The Assembly a good couple of months ago. Combining boyish good looks, quirky yearning lyrics from a time long forgotten, sweet harmonies and a bouncy tightly layered sound, Holiday Murray were definitely on my radar. Read more >>

Minds drenched with ideas at TEDx Cape Town

[Sue Northam] Last Saturday, 16 April, 2011, TEDxCapeTown (TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design, with the x for independently organised) was held at Ratanga Junction, Cape Town. Read more >>

What's in a name?

[Jordan Scott] To enjoy this performance to its fullest you've got to love listening to people with angelic voices singing. You do? Well then, let me tell you more. I have never seen two people work so well off of each other's energy - it was almost contagious - and when they began to sing, well I was lost to the world of names and their humorous ways of portraying them. Read more >>

Dancing in the dark

[Johann Smith] The light brightens the bare wooden stage floor and plain black curtains. From the darkness two silhouettes appear of a man and woman. Dressed in simple black long-sleeve shirts and grey trousers, both face each other standing dead still. This scene continues until it becomes an uneasy itch. Read more >>

Seeds to RTD 2011 successfully sown in Scarborough

[Sindy Peters: Africa editor] Sowing the Seeds was in fine form this year, hosted at the Cape Farmhouse in Scarborough on Saturday, 16 April, 2011. The prelude to Rocking the Daisies 2011 drew an energetic, multicultural crowd en masse. Jeremy Loops & Trak took best act of the day in my book, with Hot Water coming in a close second - particularly for lead vocalist Donovan Copley's intense performance of Tribal Man, which had everyone enthralled. Read more >>