Jacqui O’Sullivan - Afrikan Heroes

South African Flood Shut Down 500 MTN Sites

April 21, 2022

Jacqui O’Sullivan, MTN SA’s spokesperson

MTN has confirmed that 500 of its sites have shut down due to the flooding that happened in some parts of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). The South African mobile telecommunications company said that the floods have caused a lot of damage to infrastructure and have caused power outages in the province.

“The flooding in the KZN region has caused power outages at many of our sites, and while we have battery back-up at many of the sites, these batteries have been depleted,” Jacqui O’Sullivan, MTN SA’s spokesperson, said.

Areas that have been impacted by the outage include Durban South, South Coast, Umlazi, Amanzimtoti, Ballito, and Salt Rock, according to the giant network provider.

O’Sullivan said that their major challenge is getting to the impacted areas at the moment because the roads are flooded.

The floods have also caused uproar on social media with a lot of pictures and videos of cars floating in the water. The hashtag #KZNFloods has been trending at the top of the trends list on Twitter on Tuesday.

“We know those affected need to be able to contact their families and friends. Access to connectivity is our priority and we are deploying all possible resources to assist,” O’Sullivan said.

O’Sullivan added that the company’s customers should rest assured that its technicians are working to restore connectivity in the affected areas.

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry

MTN Partners WhatsApp for Online Payments in South Africa

May 28, 2021

Africa’s largest telecoms company Mobile Telecommunications Network (MTN) has joined forces with Ozow so that subscribers can purchase data and airtime directly through WhatsApp – an industry-first in South Africa.

Speaking on the development, Jacqui O’Sullivan, Executive of Corporate Affairs at MTN South Africa said that “Giving customers the ability to transact seamlessly on WhatsApp is a gamechanger in South Africa. It provides a seamless way to stay connected, in touch and in tune, while being simple and secure. Most importantly it will help improve financial and digital inclusion and enhance access for consumers.”

The service is provided within the MTN Chat platform, which was launched in 2019, to enable customers to initiate the purchase of airtime and data bundles within their WhatsApp chat.

Making actual payments via WhatsApp, however, is relatively new globally, having initially been tested in India in 2018 and officially launched in Brazil in June 2020.

“Our aim is to ensure South Africans do not miss out on major advances in technology and have the latest cutting-edge solutions at their fingertips so they can enjoy the full benefits of digital life,” says O’Sullivan.

“We are excited about partnering with MTN to make it even easier for customers to be able to safely purchase airtime and data directly from the WhatsApp chat on the spot, anywhere and at any time,” says Thomas Pays, Co-Founder and CEO of Ozow.

Convenience is expected to be a major benefit and to get started, subscribers just need the WhatsApp app on their smartphone.

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry

South Africans Get Free Data to Users for Downloading the COVID-19 Alert App

January 22, 2021

As part of efforts aimed at reining in the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, South Africans can now download and use the COVID-19 Alert app free of charge courtesy of Africa’s leading telecommunications network, MTN, which has zero-rated its use and will also give customers 1GB of free data for an hour after download as a reward for their efforts in fighting the pandemic. MTN has zero-rated its use and will also give customers 1GB of free data for an hour after download as a reward for their efforts in fighting the pandemic.

MTN SA’s executive for Corporate Affairs, Jacqui O’Sullivan

The COVID Alert SA app, which was designed by Discovery for the National Department of Health, uses Bluetooth contact-tracing technology to let people know when they have been in contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. It does this in a way that always preserves app user privacy and anonymity.

“One of the critical aspects of combatting COVID-19 is the ability to detect positive cases early and to isolate as many contacts as possible. The COVID Alert SA app gives every smartphone user in South Africa the chance to understand their exposure to the virus, so that we can all protect our families and our communities, and especially those people who are most at risk of severe disease,” explains MTN SA’s executive for Corporate Affairs, Jacqui O’Sullivan.

“For Bluetooth contact tracing to be effective, at least 10-15% of the population must download and use app in a given area. At 60% uptake, suppression of the virus can be achieved. This is why we have taken the steps to zero rate and even reward our customers who have downloaded the app.”

Kelechi Deca

Kelechi Deca has over two decades of media experience, he has traveled to over 77 countries reporting on multilateral development institutions, international business, trade, travels, culture, and diplomacy. He is also a petrol head with in-depth knowledge of automobiles and the auto industry