There’s no spin like Telkom spin.
We know we’ve already got a few hot and heavy words on Telkom from our readers, but we believe the more words the more pressure the more change. We’re particularly irritated as our ADSL has been down all day today and just came back on now. Unacceptable. If you haven’t seen the site MYADSL check it out… very interesting. Thanks to Andrew for this ve… nting… keep ’em coming. “You’d think that if you were a company with a monopoly position, huge profits and provided essential services at exorbitant prices, the very least you could do would be to be nice to your customers. Evidently not, according to the Telkom method. This seems to state that the route to take is to screw your customer royally, and then be obnoxiously rude to them when they complain. Everyone I know, and quite a few people that I don’t, know my personal feelings for Telkom’s unethical pricing practices in South Africa. It has long been my personal hobbyhorse that Telkom needs to be forcibly tamed and then dragged into the twenty-first century. Lately it seems that the mutterings and murmurings of the similarly disenchanted are starting to reach the public ear. Over the last couple of weeks in almost every publication that I have read, there seems to be some complaint or negative story about Telkom (I liked the story about Suzanne Vos, the IFP MP, who went to a Halloween party dressed as a Telkom bill – it was the scariest thing that she could think of). This bad press has ranged from a front-page article in The Citizen with the headline “TELKOM RIPOFF” (couldn’t have said it better myself) to more technical articles in the IT press about the monopoly’s new ADSL pricing system. Which brings us to Telkom’s biggest and loudest critic: Rudolph Muller and www.MyADSL.co.za , an online community website dedicated to consumer issues in the broadband market. MyADSL has more than 7000 registered users, which is quite a significant number when you consider that there are only approximately 150000 broadband users in South Africa. Mr. Muller, with the support of his members (from disparate backgrounds and interests) has been pressing Telkom for action to make broadband Internet more affordable since 2003. The site itself has a huge following and was included in the Financial Mail’s top five sites for 2004, and the large member base has formed a vibrant online community. MyADSL was the group that created the pressure for ICASA to hold hearings on Telkom’s ADSL offering, which resulted in draft recommendations that were highly critical of Telkom. Muller is often quoted in articles about...
Smirnoff SECRET party – are u up for the Ice House?
All our Joburg party people, we have our hands on one pair of the most desirable tickets this week, for the secret Smirnoff Ice House Party on Saturday night 12 November at a secret location… Seen as these tickets are so HOT HOT HOT we have to make a slightly more difficult question than usual for those Represent citizens that want to win…. But firstly, you have to be a Rep…resent Subscriber to win, so make sure that you have subscribed. Email the answer to the following question to Editor@represent.co.za. What is the ultimate vodka called?...
Happy Happy 119th BIrthday to Joburg!!!!
HEY JOZI IT’S YOUR BIRTHDAY!!!! Yes, it’s our birthday, so party if you want to!!!! Please send your birthday wishes to our fabulous city in our comments section! Happy Happy Birthday Jozi, your streets and beats fuel the energy that keeps our bodies and minds moving on and up towards a shimmering glimmering future. Happy...
WOMEN in the spotlight at the festival in NEWTOWN
In celebration of Women’s Day, the best South African talent in theatre, music, dance, craft and photography will be showcased in the Newtown Cultural Precinct during the fourth annual Women in Arts Festival, from the 5 to 9th August 2005. Having attracted nearly ten thousand visitors to the Festival last year, Johannesburg Development Agency has set up a show-stopping programme… to attract double that number this year. Major financial support for this year’s Festival has been received from Transnet Foundation and Peugeot Motors SA. Kaya FM have come on board as the official radio partner and sees this Festival as a platform to launch the station’s move into Newton on 1st August. Other financial support for specific events was received from Edgars, Pro-Helvetia and Swiss Development Corporation. Transnet Foundation’s Eunice Maluleke says, “The arts has the ability to bring people, from across cultural barriers together and Newtown is one such place where we are defining, through the arts, who we are as South African people. Through our strategic partnership with Newtown Cultural Precinct and as the founding sponsor of the Women in Arts Festival, Transnet Foundation continues to contribute towards nation building. This Festival is also an opportunity to assist in creating a full fledged cultural industry in SA, in line with Government’s cultural growth strategy. The Foundation’s objective is to take arts and culture to the people, literally and figuratively speaking!” Lee Luck of Peugeot Motors SA says, “We have seen a massive increase in women buyers of our vehicles, right across the range. Thus the fit between Peugeot and Women in Arts is an obvious one and we are delighted to be associated with dance, photography, music drama and craft”. The Festival consists of a host of cultural performances taking place in the various venues during the day and the evening from Friday 5th to Tuesday 9th August. Many of these have low entry fees or even free admission. The cafes, restaurants and nightclubs come alive from 21h00 with performances from the latest and hottest bands or musicians. In addition to this string of theatrical, dance and musical performances there are two other major public events. The first is a Women’s Day Luncheon which will be held in a grand marquee on Mary Fitzgerald Square on Saturday 6th August. The newly appointed Deputy President, Ms Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, will make this one of her first public engagements. Entertainment by top SA band Malaika, goodie bags and free admission to other Festival performances will make this Gauteng’s top Women’s Day event. The opportunity to attend is open to 500 women who may book as individuals at R1000 per head...
27/08 :: Creative advertising for Simphiwe Dana
Who needs Represent or any of our brother and sister sites to tell you what’s going on? All you need to do is drive to the corner of Empire rd and Jan Smuts and check out the brilliant graffiti art advertising of what’s going on in Jozi. Being a free advertising spot, they don’t last for long so make sure to keep ’em peeled! Simphiwe Dana will be doing a live DVD recording of her music …at the Market Theatre on the 27 August 2005 at the Market Theatre in Newtown. We’ll get some more info for you, but fans of this songstress book that date!...
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