Happy Holidays from HWB

deVere talks about Botswana on CNBC

The deVere Group is the world's largest independent financial consultancy group. International investors and expatriates employ us to find financial services products that suit their medium to long term requirements for insurance, investments, savings and pensions. With in excess of US $8 billion of funds under administration and management, deVere has more than sixty thousand clients in over a hundred countries.

Craig Featherby, CEO of deVere Africa, spoke to CNBC on their investment in Botswana.


http://www.abndigital.com/page/multimedia/video/invest-africa/1482275-Opportunities-and-Challenges-Facing-Botswana-Part-1

http://www.abndigital.com/page/multimedia/video/invest-africa/1482274-Opportunities-and-Challenges-Facing-Botswana-Part-2

MyCiTi - Getting to Cape Town International Airport on time - YouTube

SA youth follow politics, shun parties

Download SA Reconciliation Barometer (SARB) survey 2012 report here:

http://www.ijr.org.za/news-and-events.php?nid=105&type=news
 
Young South Africans want to participate in politics, but on their own terms. With two-thirds of the population under 35 years, parties should take note that conventional politicking doesn’t guarantee votes from the ‘Facebook generation’. 

This is the finding of the latest round of the SA Reconciliation Barometer (SARB) survey, conducted annually by the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation (IJR) since 2003.

With the ANC’s national conference in Mangaung just days away, much more than leadership and policy is at stake. In the run-up to the 2014 general elections, party leadership will have to consider how to appeal to a generation of ‘born frees’, who may be beyond the range of traditional recruiting strategies.

The results of the SARB show that young South Africans have different ideas about political engagement, than older generations who lived through the democratic transition. ‘We have grown up in a digital age,’ explained a student at a recent IJR event in the Eastern Cape, ‘we don’t read a lot, we Google and we Facebook a lot, and watch TV.’

Barometer results this year show that 40% of black under-35’s have little or no confidence in political parties, and the same is true of more than two-thirds of young people of other races. Fifty-eight percent (58%) of young South Africans say that they would consider supporting a political party different to the one preferred by most of their friends and family. The same student commented, ‘what’s this trend about voting and regurgitating my vote with the same vote for the same party, there is a new trend now.’

Young and older South Africans alike (49% overall) also doubt that national leaders are concerned with the views of ordinary people. Large numbers (44%) believe they have witnessed corruption in their own communities, and more than one in three believe government is not doing enough to combat it.

Some young South Africans, however, are more optimistic than adults that they can make a difference, and get disinterested government officials to listen to their views.

The survey also raises some disconcerting findings about political activity in this demographic. Thirty-five percent (35%) of youth think it’s better to ignore the law and solve problems immediately, and a quarter (24%) that it is not necessary to follow the laws of a government they didn’t vote for.

For some, mistrust of political parties and leaders, the desire to effect change and the view that the law can be bent or broken, may bring about consequences for the country: one in five under-35’s say they have been part of a violent or destructive protest in the past year. 

Without addressing the complex challenges young South Africans face – access to quality education, finding jobs, and ensuring their views are heard – they may increasingly turn to unconventional and unexpected channels to express their frustration.

The SA Reconciliation Barometer is a nationally-representative public opinion poll conducted annually across the country. More information is available at www.reconciliationbarometer.org or www.ijr.org.za. You can follow the Reconciliation Barometer on Twitter at @SABarometer.

Broadband access doubles in SA in two years

Broadband access in South Africa has more than doubled in the last two years, as mobile operators slashed the cost of data and network roll-out accelerated.

This is revealed in new data contained in the final version of the Internet Access in South Africa 2012 study which was conducted by World Wide Worx.

The broadband data, which is analysed in detail in the report, shows that the number of broadband subscriptions grew from 3.6 million at the end of 2010 to an expected 8.2 million by the end of 2012 which is a total of 128% growth.

Many users have multiple forms of broadband access, such as an ADSL account as well as 3G, while many hop between operators to take advantage of promotional offers.

As a result, the number of individual broadband users is substantially lower, but also more than doubling in the past two years.

The number has grown from 2.8 million to 6.7 million, 140% growth in just two years.

Telkom’s ADSL service now holds just 10.6% of the broadband subscriber market in South Africa.

Measured by subscriptions, South Africa now has an apparent 15.8% broadband penetration of the population. - News24

Nothing black & white about media freedom - Business Day

2012 SA Reconciliation Barometer survey conducted by the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation (IJR) to be released 6 Dec

In the lead-up to the ANC national conference in Mangaung, that young South Africans want to participate in politics - but on their own terms. With two-thirds of the population under 35 years, parties should take note that conventional politicking doesn’t guarantee votes from the ‘Facebook generation’.

Youth lack confidence in political parties, distrust leaders and believe corruption is widespread.

The Reconciliation Barometer is the only survey in South Africa that provides a measure of progress in reconciliation since the transition to democracy in 1994. Read and learn more about this factor in political life in South Africa by following the media coverage of the survey.

The IJR will release the report on 6 December 2012 to the media at a press conference at the offices of HWB in Greenpoint, Cape Town.

South Africans Speak about the Crisis of Moral Leadership

You are invited to a Public Dialogue at the University of the Free State, Bloemfontein:

“South Africans Speak about the Crisis of Moral Leadership”

Speakers include some of South Africa’s most thoughtful social commentators and a community activist:

- Barney Pityana
- Prince Mashele
- Pierre de Vos
- Faeza Meyer

Date: 7 December 2012
Time: 18h00 – 19h30
Venue: Centenary Complex, The Reitz Hall, University of the Free State

This public dialogue forms part of an international conference taking place at the University of the Free State titled “Engaging the Other: Breaking  Intergenerational Cycles of Repetition”

An interdisciplinary group of scholars, experts and practitioners will gather at UFS from 5 - 8 December. The conference intends to open new avenues of inquiry into the generational effects on communities that have experienced extreme violence.

According to conference coordinator, Professor Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela, The Engaging the Other conference is an attempt to "draw from the global trends of reconciliation and deepen our understanding of the elements necessary to develop empathy between victims/survivors and perpetrators".

Speakers include:

Jonathon Jansen, Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the University of the Free State
Opening address

Mark Solms, Head of Department of Psychology at the University of Cape Town.
When Solms inherited the family wine estate in Franschhoek, he also inherited the farm workers, a consequence of apartheid. These people were descendants of slaves and the families had worked on the farm for more than three centuries. His presentation takes on the dialogue with the workers on his wine estate—digging into the past—in order to investigate the hidden history of the land he inherited and understand the wounds inflicted by his forebears.

Marguerite Barankitse, survivor of the Rwandan genocide
Marguerite holds an honorary doctorate from the University of Louvain-la-Neuve in France. She has received several awards and distinctions for her work for her work aimed at transforming the lives of Hutu and Tutsi children affected by war. Among these are the highly prestigious humanitarian prize, the Opus Prize, the UNESCO Prize, and the World's Children's Prize. Marguerite will be in conversation with Desmond Tutu.

Jessica Benjamin, on the faculty of New York University's Postdoctoral Psychology Program in Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy
Jessica has made significant contributions to the concept of intersubjectivity in psychoanalysis. More recently she has directed a project on inter-group dialogue in the Middle East for Palestinian and Israeli mental health professionals and written about collective trauma and witnessing.

You are invited to attend the conference in full, or to attend those sessions of interest to you. Download the full programme here: http://www.engagingtheother.co.za/full-programme.html
Please RSVP to Andrea Kirk andrea@hwb.co.za

Please see press release attached for a more detailed overview of the conference.

For more information visit:
www.engagingtheother.co.za
Facebook: Engaging the Other
Twitter: @EngagingUFS
Conference main hashtag: #ETO

W Cape Premier Zille praises Groots Schuur Community Imprrovement District

Premier Zille with Anthony Davies, CEO of the GSCID.

Premier Helen Zille praised the successful cooperation between the local community and police in tackling crime and homelessness and generating jobs, at the Groote Schuur Community Improvement District (GSCID) Report Back Function, held in Rondebosch, on Monday evening.

City Improvement districts, according to Zille, are the catalysts which bring communities together to reduce crime, assist the homeless and attract businesses which provide jobs. Investment can only take place in a safe and clean environment.

At the meeting Zille praised GSCID CEO, Anthony Davies for the significant improvements to the area which could be directly attributed to the formation of the GSCID. She said she was impressed that significant new business had been attracted to the area as a result of the reduction in crime and homelessness.

“It’s through working  together as communities that we get results that translate into a better life for all, ”  she said, complimenting the University of Cape Town for their moral and financial support of the GSCID.

In his thanks to the premier Anthony said that “After a difficult start, the GSCID has achieved considerable success in regenerating the area, attracting business investment and creating job opportunities.”

The meeting gave invited members of the community a chance to hear how the GSCID has made significant progress in the fight against crime and the vagrant situation in the local area.

The GSCID has been in operation since September 1, 2010 with substantial achievements in all three areas of its operations; the reduction in crime, the cleanliness of streets and the rehabilitation and provision of employment for the homeless.

These operations have been funded by levies paid by commercial and UCT properties within the GSCID boundaries along Main Road, from Newlands to Groote Schuur Hospital and the Medical School precinct.

As of June 1 this year, the Observatory Improvement District (OBSID) has combined with the GSCID in their security management, provided jointly by Securitas (Pty) (Ltd) and controlled directly from the GSCID control room.
In addition, as part of the Residential Security Initiative (RSI), UCT is directly funding four security patrol vehicles in residential areas to ensure the safety of students, as well as the wider public, in and around campus.

With the planned roll out of CCTV cameras, the University, its staff, students and the public are protected by the combined coverage of 60 security patrol staff and nine vehicles, together with the resources of four local SAPS stations.

Martin Osner Fine Art Photography & Gallery - Childrens' Aid Foundation

Art of Ricky Ayanda Dyaloyi -
Childrens' Aid Foundation/Kinderhilfswerk Dritte Welt e.V. was supported by the Martin Osner Fine Gallery and HWB.

The Levenson Inquiry - the summary & the full report

Read the Executive Summary of The Leveson Inquiry:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/interactive/2012/nov/29/leveson-report-executive-summary

and the full report here:

http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/hc1213/hc07/0779/0779.asp

HWB welcomes new client, Clickatell

The world's leading mobile message provider.

http://www.clickatell.co.za

Granny Goose Night Shopping this Friday!

Join Granny Goose between 4pm and 7pm at Granny Goose main road Claremont on Friday 26th October.
Sparkling wine and snacks, free gift on arrival, lucky draw and 10% off everything & 50 % off selected items

Lots of fun – bring your friends.
Park under MontClare on cnr Campground Rd and Main Road Claremont, under Virgin Active and next to the new Pick ‘n Pay.

New HWB Facebook page

We are in the process of moving to a new company page on Facebook. Take a look out for HWB Communications (Pty) Ltd and let us know what you think. Its early days still, but we will close down this group page at the end of November 2012.

200km silent walk for Deaf awareness

After four days and a gruelling mountain pass, Charles Nyakurwa reached Worcester, the final destination in his 200km silent walk to raise awareness for the Deaf community in South Africa. 

 

Charles started his walk at The Food Barn restaurant in Noordhoek, where he works as a waiter, and made his way towards the N1, stopping in at various schools and organisations along the way, such as the Dominican School for the Deaf in Wynberg, the Mary Khin School in Observatory, and Noluthando School for the Deaf in Khayelitsha. 

 

His final destination was the National Institute for the Deaf in Worcester.

Charles completed the walk in silence, communicating via pen and paper when necessary, to experience firsthand the reactions and attitudes of the hearing community and the challenges Deaf people face when it comes to communication. 

 

“September was Deaf Awareness month, and I wanted to do something to link up the many different organisations supporting the Deaf community in the Cape,” said Charles. “People have been very generous and supportive of this initiative and I hope to make it an annual event. Next year, I’d like to see members of the Deaf and hearing community joining me on the walk.”

Charles is the founder of Deaf Hands at Work (DHW), a social enterprise offering training and job creation for Deaf people using South African Sign Language (SASL) to bridge the communication gap. DHW trains people for employment as carpenters, seamstresses, painters etc. 

 

Charles won an award from UnLtd South Africa and they put him in touch with Futuregrowth Asset Management, who were looking to support a local entrepreneur who was making a difference in his community as part of their Good Money campaign. 

 

Futuregrowth published information about Charles and DHW on their Good Money website 

(www.thisisgoodmoney.co.za) and called for votes to support his cause. 

The target was 1000 votes, and thanks to a lot of interest from the community and a number of radio interviews, this target was reached on the night before Charles started his walk. Futuregrowth will be donating R10 000 to DHW, which will go towards a sewing project that will train six Deaf women aged 21-41 as seamstresses. A portion of the Futuregrowth donation will also go towards upgrading the DHW website.

“The women on our sewing project will be sewing our unique range of Deafstyle t-shirts, which we will sell to raise further funds for DHW,” said Charles. 

 

“Charles is extremely energetic and inspiring, and he’s making a very real impact through the practical training opportunities offered at DHW,” said Michele Usher, Futuregrowth’s head of marketing. “This is exactly the kind of enterprise we are encouraging through our Good Money campaign and we hope his story will inspire other budding entrepreneurs.”

LCI Blog: Serendipity Scores – a lesson in learning

An inspiring blog post from fellow PRGN member, Landis Communications Inc. on the recent trip to Wiesbaden, Germany. Click through to get the link.

Read more about how reality has a way of turning things upside down:
http://www.landispr.com/blog/?p=2628

@hwbcomm

Daily Twitter updates from the world of PR and media - join HWB's Twitter family for breaking news and information about its clients and campaigns.

HWB's PR in four languges

South Africa has 11 official languages, but you can communicate with the majority of its people through English, Zulu, Xhosa and Afrikaans. HWB operates its campaigns in all four of these languages - in print, online and broadcast.

HWB's London reach

2012 saw HWB start client representation in London in the financial services sector.

HWB's expansion into Africa and Europe during the year positions the Company to provide clients with global service and local insight.

Investor Relations with HWB

HWB's Investor Relations (IR) programme provides strategic products and advice that integrates finance, communication, marketing/media relations and compliance to enable the most effective two-way communication between a company and the financial community.

Contact us for a consultation on IR, annual reports and integrated reporting. Offices of associates in New York, London, Frankfurt and South Africa.

Handling a crisis in South Africa: HWB's Evelyn John Holtzhausen

South Africa has been awash in a tidal wave of corporate crises over the past few months. First there was the Woolworths saga, where the retailer was accused of copying the Frankie’s soft drink brand. Then there was the exposé on Auction Alliance and the allegations of kickbacks and other dodgy practices in the auction industry. And Velvet Sky airlines lost the plot and its reputation when its failure to pay its fuel bills resulted in thousands of passengers being stranded around the country.

These are big companies – ones that should have known better than to be left floundering in the wake of a crisis without a crisis communications plan in place to handle the fallout.

Read on: http://www.wbsjournal.co.za/journal-articles/business-news/171-crisis-communications-maximum-disclosure-minimum-delay.html

Focus on Groote Schuur Community Improvement District

The GSCID in partnership with UCT, commercial and educational institutions in the area, aims to create a safer, cleaner and rejuvenated environment for all by providing ‘top up’ services to those provided by the City of Cape Town (CCT).

http://www.gscid.co.za/

Helen Suzman Foundation (HSF) pays tribute to the life and time of activist Neville Alexander

The Helen Suzman Foundation (HSF) paid tribute to the life and time of activist Neville Alexander at its Quarterly Roundtable Series (QRS) event in Cape Town last night [subs: Thursday] in a discussion around "Media and Race: Reconciliation without Respect?"
Through its events, the Foundation aims to create a platform for public dialogue and debate - through publications, roundtable discussions, conferences, and through research.

"We chose to honor Neville with this event because of his fierce independence, a truly admirable attribute," said Francis Antonie, Director of the Helen Suzman Foundation. "He appreciated the work which we have undertaken, and I know he admires our own independence."

http://www.hwb.co.za/media-article.php?id=568

Twitter. Well yes and no.

Senior executives and other important folks have a peculiar relationship with social media.

A study earlier this year found that 80% of people thought that executives that use social media are better equipped to lead their organisations. However a couple of other studies found that just 30% of senior executives have any kind of social media presence, and just 10% of CIOs use social media.

So news this week that UK prime minister David Cameron has joined Twitter should be a good thing, right? Well yes and no. Whilst it’s positive that the prime minister is present on social media there are ways of doing things, and ways of not doing things.

http://socialmediatoday.com/adigaskell/905746/4-tips-politicians-twitter

HWB at global PR conference

HWB is attending the Public Relations Global Network group meeting of 42 international PR agencies in Wiesbaden, Germany.

 As the only African member of the PRGN, we will be networking and representing the growing the English speaking Southern and Eastern African markets and linking up with agencies worldwide that are seeking representation in Africa.

Follow the conference events on Twitter @prgn as we address the issues of Europe and the EU and how it relates to the world of communications and public relations.

Foodies turn out in force for launch of Cape Town’s first Restaurant Week

@diningcitySA

Cape Town’s first Restaurant Week, which will run from 22 to 29 September, was launched with a bang at the Mount Nelson Hotel. Restaurateurs, celebrity chefs, food bloggers and the media shared Pongracz, oysters and macaroons, whilst listening to an opening address by Mariette du Toit-Helmbold, CEO of Cape Town Tourism.

“We are the culinary mecca of Africa,” said Mariette, “and we support projects such as this, which help us compete with some of the world’s best culinary destinations.”

As DiningCity SA, the main sponsor behind the event, also launched its on-line, real time restaurant review and reservation service, Mariette emphasized how important it was to be digitally connected. ”Armed with Smart Phones and iPads, today’s travelers are ‘Digital Nomads’”, exploring a hyper-connected world where, “if we do not get on board, we run the risk of becoming irrelevant and obsolete.”

Restaurant Week, an event which has previously only happened in Europe and Asia, will give diners a chance to enjoy specially created menus at the top restaurants, for a fixed price that is much lower than the normal price. The concept is simple: guests can enjoy a three course lunch or dinner at the top restaurants for R125 or R200, respectively. Restaurants enjoying a DiningCity star will cost an extra R50.

Guests at the launch also saw a demonstration of how easy it is to book online for restaurant week with DiningCity’s website www.restaurantweek.co.za. Bookings are real-time and all last minute spots will be in a news feed on the site and at www.twitter.com/RSeats

“In other locations, such as Amsterdam and Singapore, restaurants have been booked out within the first week that the reservation site was open,” said Tertius van Oosthuyzen, CEO of DiningCity SA.

Participating restaurants include the Planet Restaurant at the Mount Nelson, The Round House Restaurant, Pigalle, The Duchess of Wisbeach, Roca Restaurant at Dieu Donne Estate and Haute Cabrière, in Franschhoek. A complete list of participating restaurants in the greater Cape Town area can be viewed at www.restaurantweek.co.za.

HWB opens an office in Sandton, Johannesburg

HWB has opened an office in Sandton, Johannesburg to extend its footprint nationally more effectively. In addition to operating in South Africa, HWB also operates in Southern and Eastern African countries such as Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Zambia, Malawi, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland  and Namibia.

HWB is the only African member of of the Public Relations Global Network. Through the PRGN clients are able to reach into the EU and Russia, the North and South American markets, Asia, including India and Australia. Clients in financial services and corporates requiring investor relations (IR) can be served by our partners in Frankfurt, London and New York City.

Public Relations Global Network, conference in Cape Town

HWB welcomes the Public Relations Global Network to its 20th anniversary conference in Cape Town, 19-21 April 2012.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLKn7EtZaQM