Author: Editor

A South African heart surgeon, Dr Wilhelm Lichtenberg, has come out with guns blazing following the Government’s nomination of the Cuban Medical Brigade for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize. “The nomination defies any form of sober comprehension,” says Dr Lichtenberg, a Cardiothoracic Surgeon based in Goodwood, Cape Town.” The South African Red Cross, the Red Crescent and Doctors Without Borders have for decades done far, far more under far more challenging and dangerous conditions than the Cuban doctors. The motives are more than merely suspect and clearly bear close scrutiny.” Dr Lichtenberg, also known as the “singing surgeon”, is one…

I am a native of Africa, says the “singing surgeon” What does a heart surgeon, a singer, a linguist, a fitness fanatic, an animal lover and an enthusiastic cook have in common? Everything, if you are Dr Wilhelm Lichtenberg. Not only has the “singing surgeon” launched a solo album and made a video with the renowned Dutch singer Stef Bos, he is also fluent in four languages and has appeared on a television cooking programme. He says he grew up with music around him. “My father had a deep love of classical music and instilled that in me from a…

Boutique public relations and communications agency Rubicomm has enhanced its social media training to reflect the rapidly evolving market conditions of a COVID-19 impacted business landscape. “The past year has highlighted the need for companies to embrace digital channels to maintain customer engagement when traditional face-to-face interactions have not always been possible. This has seen them adopting digital transformation initiatives of which social media is a key touch point. But many companies are yet to fully capitalise on the potential of this medium,” says Gloria Malan, director at Rubicomm. This proliferation of social media usage is creating a knock-on effect…

Thompsons Holidays is South Africa’s leading travel wholesaler catering primarily to leisure travellers based in Southern Africa. We have over 40 years of experience in providing the finest, carefully selected collection of holidays to the most sought-after destinations. With our expert knowledge, we will provide you with unrivalled deals, unbeatable added value and the finest quality at each destination. This is paired with appealing bonus benefits which range from price guarantees to convenience-enhancing travel packages and a vast, enticing array of excursions unique to each destination. Additionally, holidays requiring in-depth knowledge and experience such as cruising, sports travel, escorted tours,…

If you think Covid-19 and the concomitant lockdowns and job losses have resulted in a slump in the property market, you are wrong. To the contrary: An extraordinary and unexpected boost in buying activity saw June through December 2020 turn into the best sales months in the Rawson Property Group’s history … and the trend is continuing! The boost in buying activity is mainly due to the 2,25 percent interest rate cut announced by the Reserve Bank in July last year, which reduced prime and the base home loan rate to a historic low of 7 percent. “The interest rate…

Since about 1582*, people have been falling victim to April Fool’s pranks. Historians have speculated that this day originated in France when the country switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar and, with this, they moved the new year from the first of April to the first of January. With no social media to blast the news, they dubbed some citizens April Fools for celebrating new year on the wrong day or so the story goes. These individuals became the butt of jokes and pranks, including having a paper fish placed on their backs as a sign of…

What did you take from a year that was defined by uncertainty and complexity? For Ian McAlister, General Manager at CRS Technologies, it was one word – resilience. For most individuals and organisations, it can easily be said that 2020 was one of the toughest years they’ve ever experienced. From the complexities of working from home to the legalities of regulations, and the fundamental changes to human interaction, it was a year that reshaped communication, collaboration and disruption. But there were valuable lessons to be learned from the challenges that the pandemic presented and perhaps the most valuable was the…

Even though modern technology is introducing new capabilities for organisations looking to adapt to evolving customer needs, the human element should never be forgotten. Whether it is a business-to-business or business-to-consumer company, much of its success comes down to how adept it is to build customer engagement and deliver a good experience. New start-ups have emerged that are challenging incumbents who are still reliant on traditional processes and systems. And while these have defined services in the past, new service providers are innovating and working faster to show value to customers that now demand everything virtually in real-time. Events of…

The story behind the solution that assisted an estimated 10 million citizens to apply for COVID-19 Social Relief of Distress Grants. On 21 April, President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the South African nation. He advised that additional social relief would be put in place to address the detrimental economic effects of COVID-19 through the COVID-19 Social Relief of Distress Grant. SASSA had the prodigious task of ensuring millions of individuals would be able to access their needed grants and quickly. They were determined to live up to the SASSA slogan – paying the right social grants, at the right time and…

Managing gender transition in the workplace is one of the most challenging human resources issues companies are faced with. It does not matter that the South African constitution is regarded as one of the most progressive in the world, LGBTQI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, questioning and intersex) employees still face discrimination and harassment. Nicol Myburgh, Head: HCM Business Unit at CRS Technologies, believes that everyone at an organisation has a responsibility to create a more enabling environment. “Even though there is growing awareness of the struggles trans people face, company policies generally lack the appropriate guidelines to effectively support these employees.…