ADSL on its last legs in South Africa

-
Image
  By   Daniel Puchert Partially state-owned telecommunications company Telkom announced in its financial results for the year ending 31 March 2025 that its ADSL subscribers had more than halved to under 30,000. According to the company’s operational data, ADSL lines decreased from 64,959 in March 2024 to 29,770. This 54.2% decline highlights that the legacy broadband technology is slowly approaching the end of the road. Telkom’s ADSL business peaked at the end of March 2016 with 1.01 million subscribers — two years after fibre upstart Vumatel  broke ground in Parkhurst . What followed was a sharp decline in Telkom ADSL subscribers. Customers connected to its copper networks decreased by more than 500,000 over the next four years. This was partly driven by Telkom itself, which began actively switching off its copper network in some neighbourhoods. If it did not have fibre in the area, it would offer a “fixed line lookalike” wireless service that ran over its cellular ...
Post a Comment

Kenny Kunene relaunches news site as Africa News Global, with Cabinet ministers in attendance

-

 

accreditation
Compiled by Alex Mitchley
0:00
play article
SUBSCRIBERS CAN LISTEN TO THIS ARTICLE
Kenny Kunene. (Gallo Images)
Kenny Kunene. (Gallo Images)
  • Businessman Kenny Kunene has relaunched his website.
  • The website claims to provide an alternative narrative to mainstream media.
  • Kunene, who had previously dipped his feet into politics, said there would be no interference in the publication's editorial department. 

Africa News24-7, which is co-owned by businessman and former secretary-general of the Patriotic Alliance, Kenny Kunene, has been relaunched as Africa News Global, which aims to provide an "alternative narrative to the mainstream media".

According to an article on its website, the online news publication was relaunched last Thursday. 

Africa News 24-7 was founded in November 2017. 

Kunene told News24 that it was a brainchild of former Citizen and Sunday Independent editor Steve Motale, who convinced him as a funder about the relevance and impact of online news.

"The vision was and still remains to provide an alternative narrative to the mainstream media which has clearly abandoned the media's role of informing readers truthfully, objectively, and without fear or favour." 

He said it was also to "provide a voice to the voiceless in an environment where the mainstream media has chosen sides and has allowed itself to be captured by a dominant faction of the ruling party, resulting in agenda-driven reporting that we are witnessing today".

"Africa News Global will play an important role of being a trusted source of news in an environment where readers are losing trust in mainstream media because of biased and politically motivated reporting."

He said the news site would play a critical role in the current media landscape through honest, accurate and unbiased reporting "whose sole aim is to gather and disseminate news truthfully, honestly, objectively and without fear or favour".

ALSO READ | OPINION: The SABC is giving me just 5 days to pay my TV Licence

Kunene, who has previously dipped his feet into politics, said there would be no interference in the publication's editorial content. 

Unlike media owners in this country, I will respect the editorial independence of the publication. I will play no role at all in determining its content, which is the sole prerogative of the editor.

Motale, with over 20 years of experience in journalism, had been appointed as the editor and would lead a young team of writers, Kunene said. 

"We have also partnered with local and international news providers for more local and international content."

According to the website, the relaunch was attended by several ministers and other prominent figures in South Africa's political landscape. 

Kunene said this was to demonstrate their commitment to unbiased reporting, as an invitation was extended to leaders of all political parties.

"Those in attendance, including several from the ruling party, were given an opportunity to speak. Among these were Patriotic Alliance chief whip at City of Joburg, Deputy Pastor Ashley Sauls; Minister in the Presidency responsible for Intelligence Zizi Kodwa, Social Development Minister Lindiwe Zulu; Deputy Minister of Public Enterprises Phumulo Masualle; ATM president Vuyolwethu Zungula; spokesperson of President Jacob Zuma Foundation and MKMVA spokesperson Carl Niehaus."

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
In times of uncertainty you need journalism you can trust. For only R75 per month, you have access to a world of in-depth analyses, investigative journalism, top opinions and a range of features. Journalism strengthens democracy. Invest in the future today.
Subscribe to News24
READ MORE ON:
KENNY KUNENEMEDIA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

If everyone on Earth sat in the ocean at once, how much would sea level rise?

-
Image
  There are a lot of people, but the oceans are very big.   Rosley Majid/EyeEm via Getty Images If everyone on Earth sat in the ocean at once, how much would sea level rise? March 29, 2021 2.07pm SAST Author Tony E. Wong Assistant Professor of Mathematical Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology Disclosure statement Tony E. Wong does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. Partners Rochester Institute of Technology  provides funding as a member of The Conversation US. The Conversation is funded by the National Research Foundation, eight universities, including the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Rhodes University, Stellenbosch University and the Universities of Cape Town, Johannesburg, Kwa-Zulu Natal, Pretoria, and South Africa. It is hosted by the Universities of the Witwatersrand and Wester...
Read more

Andrew Watson: The 'most influential' black footballer for decades lost to history

-
Image
  By Andrew Aloia BBC Sport Last updated on 11 October 2021 11 October 2021 . From the section Football Watson was a trailblazer who helped transform how football was played There are two murals of black footballers facing one another across an alleyway in Glasgow. One helped shape football as we know it, the other is Pele. Andrew Watson captained Scotland to a 6-1 win over England on his debut in 1881. He was a pioneer, the world's first black international, but for more than a century the significance of his achievements went unrecognised. Research conducted over the past three decades has left us with some biographical details: a man descended of slaves and of those who enslaved them, born in Guyana, raised to become an English gentleman and famed as one of Scottish football's first icons. And yet today, 100 years on from his death aged 64, Watson remains something of an enigma, the picture built around him a fractured one. His grainy, faded, sepia image evokes many differen...
Read more

Which countries have the world’s largest coal reserves?

-
Image
  Visual Capitalist Elements   | September 15, 2021 | 8:58 am   Intelligence   Australia   USA   Coal   The Countries With the Largest Coal Reserves Cheap and abundant coal remains one of the largest sources of energy worldwide, even as governments set out goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. While jurisdictions in Europe and North America have been phasing out coal use in power generation, it has been on the rise in Asia. China and India are scrambling to provide electricity to a growing population and relying on coal power plants to meet demands despite the environmental costs. SIGN UP FOR THE ENERGY DIGEST Sign Up This infographic takes a look into the  BP Statistical Review of World Energy 2021 , and the 11 countries that make up  89%  of the coal reserves globally. Coal Reserves, by Country While countries need to phase out coal by 2040 to achieve the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global warming to 1.5ºC, consumption in key ...
Read more