trends

South African-based technology company Net1 Mobile Solutions is preparing to roll out the Sun-e-light, a solar-powered lamp which also functions as a mobile phone charger and wi-fi hotspot, as part of a project aimed at opening up the digital world to people in rural areas.

A South African developed video streaming solution, specially designed to cater for the low-speed internet environment encountered in most parts of Africa, has been released as a free mobile application for Apple and Android phones.

The South African Medical Research Council and international non-profit organisation Path have launched a new partnership to speed up the development of sustainable, high-impact innovations capable of saving the lives of vulnerable women and children in South Africa and beyond.

Anglo American Platinum has partnered with Canadian company Ballard Power Systems and the Department of Energy on a field trial of a methanol-fuelled home generator system to light up the homes in a small village in rural South Africa.

South African Airways is partnering with US aerospace giant Boeing and Amsterdam-based SkyNRG to make sustainable aviation biofuel from a new type of tobacco plant, in a pioneering project that could make aviation more environment-friendly while advancing rural development in southern Africa.

Cape Town-based company Capsule Technologies has produced Africa's first low-wattage, solar-powered desktop computer. The Impi Mk1 requires less energy and other resources, and can withstand hot and dusty conditions, making it ideal for Africa's remote rural areas.

Help is at hand for emerging black South African filmmakers trying to break into the industry, in the form of a new fund that will bankroll the full R5-million production and marketing budget of six qualifying feature films a year for the next three years.

Teams of representatives from the government, business, labour, civil society and academia have begun working on plans to unlock the economic potential of South Africa's oceans, in the first activation of a new initiative, dubbed Operation Phakisa, that was launched by President Jacob Zuma on the weekend.

South African petrochemicals giant Sasol has teamed up with Mozambican state oil company ENH and Italian multinational Eni to conduct a pre-feasibility study for a gas-to-liquids plant in Mozambique, based on future production from one of the world's largest gas finds of the last decade.

The East London Industrial Development Zone, in partnership with the Research Institute for Innovation and Sustainability, has launched a web-based open solution exchange platform to stimulate innovation and entrepreneurship in the Eastern Cape.