Author: Editor
Visiting the Batwa pygmies: To see the original people who lived in Bwindi forest for thousands of years, but have now been evicted from the forest and resettled outside the park. Visiting the Batwa pygmies is a great opportunity to learn about their culture and get involved in some of their cultural activities such as the traditional dances while listening to stories about how they used to hunt and gather fruits in the forest. Primate watching: Nowhere else in the whole but the Bwindi forest can Mountain gorillas and chimpanzees both be sighted. During gorilla tours in Bwindi, visitors will come across…
Uganda recently changed to an online visa process, which makes the application process quick and efficient https://visas.immigration.go.ug. The cost is US$ 50 and all information and documentation is submitted electronically. I would, however, suggest that you provide them with more details than required, as they will most likely defer your application and request further details such as your travel itinerary, the address and phone numbers of your tour operator in Uganda, and contact details of your accommodation establishments. Providing this information in advance, may save time. You will receive an travel authorization letter once approved – this will be required…
The author and real estate “coach” Peter F Porcelli Jr once said the market is like Goldilocks. “It decides if your price is too hot, too cold, or just right.” David Jacobs, Gauteng Regional Manager for the Rawson Property Group, fully agrees: “One of the most critical elements of selling any property is getting the listing price right. Price too low and sellers lose out on profits. Price too high and the property may not sell at all.” The resounding advice from property experts is to use a professional real estate agent to value your home before settling on a…
By Angelique Strumpher at SilverBridge Holdings With the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) that came into effect on the 1st of July this year, time for companies to ensure compliance has run out. POPIA has a significant impact on data-rich organisations such as insurers, it also presents them with opportunities to innovate, modernise, and digitalise in ways they might not have considered before. Fundamentally, POPIA provides guidelines for organisations around the collection, processing, storing, and sharing of any personal information collected by them and holds them accountable for any loss or abuse of information they have. Robust systems need…
Customer mindset that open source technology is somehow inferior to proprietary software has changed, fuelled by the superiority of Linux as the foundation for innovation. Additionally, the market should expect open source solutions to grow in cloud-based applications, along with the focus on skills related to hybrid systems. These are key trends behind an increased uptake and application of open source technology within enterprises today says Muggie van Staden, CEO of Obsidian Systems, and his colleague Martin Liebenberg, MSP Team Lead. Obsidian Systems says open source technology is ubiquitous. The company says it is very difficult to not leverage the…
By Ina Oosthuizen, Decision Inc, Data Scientist The retail industry is becoming more competitive by the day. Promotions can be an effective way to increase demand. But to do so optimally remains a challenge for businesses. Even if increased volume is positive, what really matters is the total profits compared to the discount – the return on investment (ROI). The ROI is what separates a good promotion from a bad one. Driving promotions without looking into the inherent factors that influence the ROI can lead to promotions that damage the bottom-line. Adapting a centralised solution to give stakeholders a comprehensive…
By Kim Furman, Synthesis Marketing Manager Imagine a world of less admin, less adulting. A world designed to make your life easier, happier, and simpler. A world where you are less confined to the box of banalities. This is the world imagined by Synthesis Chief Disruption Officer, Tom Wells, on a recent podcast with Howard Feldman, Synthesis Head of Marketing & People, called Brave Banking. He describes what life could be like if banks changed how they operate. How could banking make your life better? Wells has the answer. First, it is important to understand Wells. He is an energised, enthusiastic visionary…
UFS Auto, a specialised importer/exporter of low-use Japanese vehicles, has entered the online vehicle space by engaging Syncrony to fully establish a winning online presence. Africa-focused UFS Auto has been in business, based out of the Port of Durban for the past ten years. It has expanded its African footprint with the addition of a car sales website, built by Syncrony, the leading Johannesburg-based e-commerce and software development specialist. The website will now become the main thrust of UFS Auto’s business model, which is to import quality, end-of-lease vehicles from Japan into Africa. Selling cars from an online-store platform is…
Fred Senekal, Head of R&D at Learning Machines Machine learning operations (MLOps), the standardisation and streamlining of machine learning lifecycle management, has become one of the most important development areas within business. Machine learning (ML) and data science are being widely adopted within organisations and can deliver practical solutions that provide demonstratable business returns. But to do so requires an effective team structure consisting of several specialists working together. It all starts with the data engineer who is responsible for preparing and building the data infrastructure to store and manage the data for the data scientist to analyse. Moreover, the…
It needs to be said. The South African Government has blood on its hands. It is not the first time, it will unlikely be the last, but there is little doubting that the deadly Covid 3rd wave that is devastating the country could have been blunted by a reasonable vaccine roll-out. And no amount of pretend family meetings can wash away the stain and the stench of death that starts with corruption and incompetence and ends with the burials of grandparents, of mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters and husbands and wives. South Africans are dying from Covid, and whereas…