Home is best for Vodacom profits
Vodacom continued to find joy in home comforts after revenue from the rest of its Africa operations slumped 8.2 percent to R4.2 billion for the quarter ended December, while the South African business recorded a 5.5 percent revenue growth to R13.4 billion. The company said the strong surge in its local operations was driven mainly by strong data revenue growth of 22 percent. It said its international customers decreased by 7.5 percent during the period and general operations took a knock as a result of currency volatility and customer registration regulations, with the company’s saving grace on the continent being…
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Tribunal reserves judgment in Ferro case
Ferro South Africa and one of its divisions have applied to the Competition Tribunal for the modification or waiving of conditions imposed on it during a merger, because the theft of confidential information by a former employee had undermined the purpose of these conditions. The tribunal in August 2014 approved the merger between Ferro and Arkema, subject to Ferro divesting Arkema’s business related to the manufacture and sale of unsaturated polyester resins (UPR). Ferro in November 2014 agreed to sell the UPR business to Atlin Chemicals. NCS Resins, a subsidiary of Ferro, launched an application in the Eastern Cape High…
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The man with two hearts
When a man was fitted with a new heart, his mind changed in unusual ways. Why? The answer reveals a surprising truth about all our bodies, says David Robson: Every second or so, Carlos would feel a small “bump” hitting his tummy. It was the beating of his “second heart”. The small mechanical pump was meant to relieve the burden of his failing cardiac muscles, but Carlos (not his real name) disliked the sensation. The beat of the machine seemed to replace his pulse, a sensation that warped his body image: as the device throbbed above his navel, Carlos had…
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