VenturesNow

Foreigners in South Africa panic over voicenote threat on businesses

Published

3 years ago

March 26, 2022

Foreigners who run businesses in South Africa have been thrown into panic after some voice notes threatening foreign-owned businesses in the former apartheid enclave have been in circulation over the past week.

According to the voice notes, foreign business owners, especially those in the Durban province, were warned not to operate on Sunday or they will be attacked.

Following the emergence of the voice notes and messages threatening violence on social media, the KwaZulu-Natal Police have been placed on high alert, with the South African Police authority saying officers “will be strategically deployed to respond swiftly to those who act unlawfully.”

Provincial police spokesperson, Brigadier Jay Naicker, said officers and other law enforcement agencies were prepared to react to any event which may contribute to the breakdown of law and order.

The voice notes and messages, said to have emanated from a South African group known as ‘Operation Dudula’, are vowing to shut down businesses belonging to foreign nationals in Durban, and have been widely circulated on social media platforms.

The ‘Operation Dudula,’ is a violent group opposed to foreigners in the country and primarily targets foreign nationals and their businesses, which they claim have taken over their jobs.

The organisation which started in Johannesburg, has been spreading to other parts of the Rainbow Country, and is set to have its first meeting in Durban on Sunday, which further gives credence to the voice notes threats.

Click to comment

VenturesNow

Mozambique drops interest rate for 6th time in 2024

Published

6 days ago

November 29, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

As inflation remains low in southern African Mozambique, its central bank has lowered its main interest rate by 75 basis points, the sixth straight drop.

Mozambique’s MIMO interest rate dropped from 13.50% to 12.75%. Since July, Mozambique’s inflation rate has stayed below 3%; in October, it was 2.68% annually.

In a statement, the Bank of Mozambique stated that, despite concerns about post-election demonstrations and their effect on the cost of goods and services, its most recent monetary policy decision was consistent with maintaining inflation in the single digits over the medium run.

With a moderate inflation forecast, the policy rate was lowered for the sixth straight time.

Despite concerns about post-election demonstrations and their effect on the cost of goods and services, policymakers said the decision was compatible with keeping inflation in the single digits in the medium run.

Although headline inflation increased slightly to 2.68% in October from 2.45% in July, it has stayed below 3% since then. Banco de Moçambique is the source.

VenturesNow

Hackers stole $17 million from Uganda National Bank— Report

Published

7 days ago

November 28, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

The state-owned New Vision newspaper has reported that offshore hackers had stolen 62 billion Ugandan shillings ($16.8 million) from Uganda’s central bank.

Earlier this month, the hackers, who went by the name “Waste,” allegedly gained access to the Bank of Uganda’s IT systems and moved the money illegally.

According to New Vision, which cited anonymous bank sources, the Southeast Asian hacker collective moved a portion of the pilfered funds to Japan.

A request for comment on the issue from Reuters was not immediately answered by Bank of Uganda. A request for a response from the Ugandan police was likewise not answered.

More than half of the funds had been successfully retrieved by the central bank from the hackers, according to New Vision. It stated that President Yoweri Museveni had ordered a probe into the cyberattack.

Separately, the Daily Monitor, Uganda’s largest independent daily, stated that insider collaboration could have played a role in the crime.

In Uganda, there have been several instances of cyber thefts from banks and other financial service providers, including telecom companies. However, according to police authorities, several banks are reluctant to openly admit such events for fear of upsetting their clientele.