NUGGET (30 SEPTEMBER 2026)
Nuggets! (Bite size updates on the real important stuff related to Tech, Trends, Business and the Planet.)
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1000+ SOUTH AFRICAN BUSINESSES FOLD IN 2026
(So far…). Newly released data from Stats SA shows that 1010 South African businesses have become insolvent this year.
WHITE DESERT
South Africa’s petrochemical giant Sasol recently signed an agreement to supply co-processed ‘sustainable’ Aviation Fuel to luxury tourism operator White Desert (their website: https://white-desert.com/). Their company will power commercial tourist flights from Cape Town to Antarctica starting this November, using fuel partially made from recycled cooking and vegetable oils. Does it help Mother Nature or not?
White Desert has apparently operated as a carbon-neutral company through offsetting schemes since 2007. However, offsetting does not stop emissions at the source. By switching to a locally produced SA SAF blend, they are indeed lowering the physical carbon footprint of their flights.
WELL DONE
Dyllon Randall and Caitlin Courtney, congratulations on your achievement at the 2026 FNF Afri GreenPitch Challenge. Their project ‘Pee-Cycling’ took top honours at a green technology competition, hosted by the forward-thinking (or should we say future-thinking…) GreenCape organisation, where innovators from across the continent showcased their solutions for a sustainable future. Dyllon’s team has been running a successful pilot at the iconic DHL Stadium in Cape Town, working alongside Bidvest Prestige. During a thrilling Springboks vs. All Blacks match, they connected their system to a single bathroom, capturing a staggering 3600 litres of urine from excited fans. Dyllon has said that this victory was perfectly timed to propel the project towards broader application, and I can’t wait to hear more news. Learn a little more here: https://greencape.co.za/green-innovation-from-across-southern-africa-shines-at-first-of-two-2026-fnf-afri-greenpitch-challenge-events/
PAT
(On the back?) In a positive step for wildlife conservation, the Connected Conservation Foundation (CCF for short), in collaboration with the Cisco Networking Academy, has introduced the Protected Area Technician Training Programme (PAT for short). This project might very well be the first of its kind globally, and guess what, it’s happening in Africa!
The aim is to empower local conservationists with some cutting-edge tech skills to protect wildlife more effectively. Even environmentalists need to be technologists in 2026! Participants will go through training modules divided into two phases: an online phase with a thorough 10-module digital course covering essential skills in data collection, AI analytics, and technology maintenance, already engaging over 680 conservationists worldwide; and a practical phase, where the highest-performing graduates from the online module in Africa are selected for hands-on training at South Africa’s Lapalala Wilderness nature reserve. (This is a 48000-hectare private Big Five conservation area located within the UNESCO Waterberg Biosphere in South Africa’s Limpopo province. I’m planning to reach out to them to see if they’ll let me visit!)
On site, I understand participants will work with advanced tools such as thermal-sensor drones and solar-powered remote-tracking stations… and perhaps some other interesting gadgets?
INTERNATIONAL DAY OF CLEAN AIR
On the 7th of September, South Africa apparently commemorated the International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies. Read on, because this gave me allergies…
At an event to celebrate this Day of Clean Air, Parliament’s Portfolio Committee has reiterated calls for stricter compliance enforcement in heavily polluted mining and industrial regions like Mpumalanga and Gauteng, and our Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) launched an e-waste collection drive in Atteridgeville, Pretoria, flagged as a high-priority area due to poor air quality from open waste burning and industrial transport. So, a five-star effort? But wait…
Ask yourself now: “Who gives permits to high-pollutant industries in Mpumalanga and Gauteng?” The answer is that the national Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) steps in as the licensing authority if the business is a state-owned enterprise, such as an Eskom power station or a Sasol plant. In Gauteng, licences are issued by metropolitan municipalities like the City of Johannesburg, the City of Ekurhuleni, and the City of Tshwane. In Mpumalanga, licences are issued by district municipalities such as Nkangala District Municipality, Gert Sibande District Municipality, and Ehlanzeni District Municipality.
It would serve our future better if licences were issued by an entity with no government connection.
YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT
“A ticking time bomb” was the description given by a CEO at an event I attended this past month. New data on South Africa’s ‘creator economy’ reveals a massive structural shift, and perhaps a little hope? With youth unemployment sitting at 47.4%, content creation is moving beyond basic influencer brand deals towards standalone digital entrepreneurship, heavily supported by localised e-commerce infrastructure. You can read more here: https://mg.co.za/friday/2026-08-28-south-africa-s-creator-economy-looks-beyond-brand-deals-for-growth/
A NEW BILL
Our government has published the Second-Hand Goods Amendment Bill, 2026, for public comment. This is an important piece of legislation that is said to introduce stronger regulations to combat the illegal scrap-metal trade, cable theft, and other criminal activities that continue to cripple municipal water and electricity infrastructure. It’s an entire black-market economy, and it reminds me of an article I wrote some time ago titled “South Africa Is Being Cannibalised”, you can find that on my articles page on my site.
Here are some quick notes on the Bill:
Digital tracking through the Metal Trading System (MTS), I love the use of tech for good! Scrap-metal dealers would be required to record every individual transaction electronically in a centralised national database, creating a detailed digital trail for law-enforcement authorities to monitor and audit.
Enforcing a cashless system, this reiterates what I have been saying about South Africa in general “we are moving towards a cashless society”. A key objective of the Bill is to eliminate cash transactions involving waste and scrap metal. Requiring electronic payments could make it far more difficult for criminal syndicates to launder money or trade anonymously.
Mandatory tax compliance for registration. Under the proposed rules, scrap- and waste-metal buyers and sellers would not be able to register or operate without a valid Tax Compliance Status from SARS. This could help exclude unvetted and informal dealers from the legitimate supply chain.
FLY A LOT?
Aviation is going to change a lot over the next 10 years, more than it has since the 17th of December 1903, when Orville and Wilbur Wright took to the skies. With that said, let me share some exciting news about Heart Aerospace (www.heartaerospace.com), who achieved a major milestone by successfully flying its X1 Demonstrator! What is this contraption, you ask? It’s the world’s largest battery-electric aircraft, and it flew for 27 minutes. Now, I know that doesn’t sound long, but the Wright brothers first flight lasted only 12 seconds!
SOUTH AFRICA HAS A SUPERCOMPUTER
Yes, we have one, and it got hacked. Our Department of Science, Technology and Innovation confirmed in a written parliamentary reply on the 24th of August that the cyber breach involving South Africa’s Lengau Supercomputer was caused by vulnerabilities in its legacy high-performance computing environment. The root cause of the breach was linked to ageing infrastructure, but only a human would blame a machine for something they were meant to have improved, right? In addition, certain core parts of the legacy environment are no longer supported by their original vendors. This left them vulnerable to security gaps and unable to receive standard security patches… Time they called in www.cyberdefenders.co.za.
GOOGLE IT
Google officially deployed its August 2026 spam update on the 18th of August, targeting web manipulation across all languages globally.
But what does this mean for you and me? Hopefully, we will see fewer low-quality, AI-generated, and repetitive search results when looking for information online. Let me summarise the four primary goals/“hopes”:
- Fewer articles that repeat the same generic information without actually answering your question. (This is something I often experience with private bankers and attorneys.)
- Websites that use aggressive, automated tactics to rank for trending keywords will be less prominent in your search results. The key phrase here, for me, is “automated tactics”! You have to actually work on your SEO… Don’t forget, that’s a service I offer, along with GEO and AEO.
- More authoritative answers will get an advantage. Independent blogs, genuine expert reviews, and forum discussions, such as Reddit or specialised communities, will become easier to find.
- The update targets deceptive web practices, reducing our chances of landing on spammy, ad-heavy, or potentially malicious websites.
IT FINALLY HAPPENED
I’ve been waiting for some time now… It’s been years since I wrote the article “Will There Be Lawyers in the Future?”, looking at the legal fraternity and the impact of digital solutions. A massive step was taken recently, and I’m not sure how attorneys feel about it.
I want to share this website link with you: https://www.myailawyer.co.za/. My AI Lawyer is set to be an innovative South African digital legal assistance platform designed to provide affordable, 24/7 access to legal information and guidance. Here are my notes on its core capabilities:
- WhatsApp Integration: The service is accessible on WhatsApp by saving the contact number (+27 71 526 8527). Save it now?
- Voice-Note Enabled: Users can send and receive voice notes, enhancing accessibility for those who prefer speaking.
- Broad Legal Coverage: It covers tenant disputes, unfair dismissals, road rage, consumer protection, family law, criminal justice, and many, many other areas…
- Document Drafting: It drafts contracts, agreements, and standard legal letters within minutes, emailing them directly to your inbox.
- Human-in-the-Loop Backup: “Digital when you want it. Human when you need it.
The END!
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Who is Jean-Pierre Murray-Kline?
Jean-Pierre is a South African serial e-entrepreneur, published author, and change champion who has worked in over 300 types of industries in some capacity or another. His own online businesses have generated millions of Rands and involved sectors such as law, web & app development, events & entertainment, property, technical services, media, and tourism.
He has traveled to over 180 cities worldwide and is extremely active as a business and environmental technologist. In addition to his own projects, he researches and consults on all things online: marketing, reputation, compliance, law, and e-security, and also offers strategy workshops and scenario sessions on future thinking with a key focus on technology, the environment, and global influences.
Jean-Pierre is often asked to be a guest speaker on a variety of subjects he continuously studies and writes about.
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