south africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by 2,798 kilometres (1,739 mi) of coastline of Southern Africa stretching along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans;[9][10][11] to the north by the neighbouring countries of Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe; and to the east and northeast by Mozambique and Eswatini (Swaziland); and it surrounds the enclaved country of Lesotho.[12] South Africa is the largest country in Southern Africa and the 24th-largest country in the world by land area and, with over 58 million people, is also the world’s 24th-most populous nation. It is the southernmost country on the mainland of the Old World or the Eastern Hemisphere, and the most populous country located entirely south of the equator (although Tanzania is not far behind). About 80 percent of South Africans are of Bantu ancestry,[5]divided among a variety of ethnic groups speaking different African languages, nine of which have official status.[11] The remaining population consists of Africa’s largest communities of European, Asian (Indian),[13] and multiracial (Coloured) ancestry.
South Africa is a multiethnic society encompassing a wide variety of cultures, languages, and religions. Its pluralistic makeup is reflected in the constitution‘s recognition of 11 official languages, which is the fourth-highest number in the world.[11] Two of these languages are of European origin: Afrikaans developed from Dutch and serves as the first language of most coloured and white South Africans; English reflects the legacy of British colonialism, and is commonly used in public and commercial life, though it is fourth-ranked as a spoken first language. The country is one of the few in Africa never to have had a coup d’état, and regular elections have been held for almost a century. However, the vast majority of black South Africans were not enfranchised until 1994. During the 20th century, the black majority sought to claim more rights from the dominant white minority, with this struggle playing a large role in the country’s recent history and politics. The National Party imposed apartheid in 1948, institutionalising previous racial segregation. After a long and sometimes violent struggle by the African National Congress (ANC) and other anti-apartheid activists both inside and outside the country, the repeal of discriminatory laws began in the mid-1980s.
Since 1994, all ethnic and linguistic groups have held political representation in the country’s liberal democracy, which comprises a parliamentary republic and nine provinces. South Africa is often referred to as the “rainbow nation” to describe the country’s multicultural diversity, especially in the wake of apartheid.[14] The World Bank classifies South Africa as an upper-middle-income economy, and a newly industrialised country.[15][16] Its economy is the second-largest in Africa, and the 33rd-largest in the world. In terms of purchasing power parity, South Africa has the seventh-highest per capita income and the seventh-highest human development index in Africa. However, poverty and inequality remain widespread, with about a quarter of the population unemployed and living on less than US$1.25 a day.[17][18] South Africa has been identified as a middle power in international affairs, and maintains significant regional influence.[19][20]
Photo Credits
Photo by Kelly Arnold on Unsplash
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Photo by Tim Johnson on Unsplash
Mon March 27th
HP Industrial Print in Durban · Suhail A...
Durban is a major print hub on the east coast of South Africa - a couple of hours' flight from Cape Town and only one hour from Johannesburg. Impress Printers is, by all means, a full-service printing company with capabilities from web-offset and sheetfed offset to digital production of labels, cut-sheet, and inkjet roll-based printing. HP is 'living' their newly defined reality where indigos are placed side by side with a T-250 inkjet machine - and all machines are busy from schoolbooks produced on the T-series to posters, covers, postcards, and high-quality printed brochures printed on the numerous Indigos placed in air-conditioned rooms. The contrast to the offset production is sharp as the offset production is about getting volume produced; the HP technology is used for both fast turn-around products, but also short runs and print requiring personalization. Suhail Agjee, who operates Impress Printers with his father, is proud of what they have achieved. I would say a successful printer in South Africa with capabilities beyond most. Great story.
Tue February 7th
From Digital to Rotogravure · Peter Metc...
In the suburbs of Cape Town in South Africa, we got the chance to visit quite an amazing printing company, Novus Holdings. The company was formerly known as Paarl Media, but as it went public, it changed its name. Peter Metcalf, Group Executive: Sales & Marketing, welcomes INKISH to the almost 70,000 m2 facility that houses all the printing equipment you can think of, from cut-sheet digital to rotogravure machines. In this film, you'll get an overview of the company, how they manage power outs for up to ten hours a day, and how they re-circulate ventilation and optimize their production. An amazing story and we are confident you will like it!
Fri February 25th
Publishing · Vanessa Wilson by Jean Lloy...
In this new INKISH format host Jean Lloyd invites a guest to explain, in this case, publishing. In this first episode her guest is is Vanessa Wilson, who is a famous and recognized author and publisher in South Africa. Her book "Publishing like a Pro" has become a popular title, and here you'll learn more about the book, the reasons for writing and publishing it, and well - just a new great format that we welcome on INKISH. For PSPs, Vanessa Wilson gives advice on how you can work closely with publishers understanding their needs!
Wed February 2nd
Investing in Nilpeter is also investing ...
Dawrian Salies is the General Manager of SA Litho Label Printers - one of the leading print suppliers in South Africa - and part of a much larger organization, CTP limited. In this interview, Dawrian Salies explains that investing in equipment is also investing in the company. With Nilpeter flexo presses on the production floor, that statement is 100% backed up in doings. Dawrian Salies told me during our tour how they align the different technologies from their offset presses to flexo to digital, and the size and output of SA Litho Label Printers were very impressive. Great company!
Wed December 15th
VR Print add Nilpeter FA-LINE to its ALL...
VR Print operates its business from Durban, South Africa, and visiting the company was an inspiring experience. Today the company, managed and owned by CEO Hilton Janse van Rensburg, is an all-digital printing company. However, in February, VR Print will receive its first Nilpeter FA-Line machine. Normally INKISH visits printing companies with new equipment already installed. In this video, we talk to Hilton about the market, the expectations, and what made the company choose to add Flexo capabilities to its production. Enjoy!
Fri November 19th
Print on Demand depends on Ultimate Tech...
Tertius Van Eeden is the owner and Managing Director of Print On Demand in Cape Town, South Africa. INKISH visited the company that has become the first PSP in South Africa capable of producing books of one. His company 'Print on Demand' has invested in Inkjet, smart binding, and all are tight together using Ultimate TechnoGraphics software. In this film, we talk to Tertius Van Eeden to understand the South African market and how working with various partners like Ingram, Amazon, and more enables a global approach to the business. LinkedIn Profile
Mon October 25th
About Color Management · John Panton · C...
John Panton is a leading capacity in the South African printing industry, and his company ColorFlow Solutions help hundreds of printing companies manage colors. In this interview, John Panton gives you a short background and why color management, even in a digital print space, is necessary. Enjoy! LinkedIn Profile
Sat May 15th
Jean Lloyd · Fast Forward · South Africa...
I've got 17 kilometers of stunning, stunning, beautiful white beach in front of me. During lockdown I actually moved to a beach house. And I thought: Well while I'm still here, let's get some quality living. Coming back to South Africa, it was circumstances in a way beyond my control. If you look at where technology is, where the work is, where the customers are. I miss that interaction. I do miss the rush of being on top of the latest technology and trends. What Covid has done, it has almost brought a human side to people's lives. Learn to be agile. You've learned to cope. You've learned new ways of getting information. I've met awesome people and I've taken on a V-Press web-to-print agency. I've gone down roads with, you know, the likes of like the Deborah Corn’s and the Pat McGrews. I mean, we really are involved, I suppose, in each other's lives on a daily basis. We are four generations of print in our family. So my grandfather, he operated a web-press. Both of my parents worked as factory workers in print shops. I have deaf parents. And so it was obviously a huge challenge for them. But I always wanted to dress up like the ladies upstairs. So kind of that was my aim. My daughter is in print. I'm so passionate about this industry. I absolutely love it. My career started at Heidelberg. I joined in Marketing. I was running the marketing department. Heidelberg and Kodak had this joint venture. And they launched digital. I would never in a million years think that I would be supporting a cause to save baboons. But when I looked out my window, there was this huge baboon sitting outside. The moment I found out about it...the more. I think it just got my heart string. And I can see I'm making a difference. And I'm bringing print into the picture. LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jean-lloyd-7b6392bb/
Sun June 7th
Jean Lloyd · Over The Skype · JL Consult...
In this 'Over the Skype' session, we this time visits Jean Lloyd from South Africa. Jean Lloyd has a deep understanding of Inkjet with years of experience. Today she works as an independent consulting with a focus on supporting her customers about Inkjet. As with all our ‘Over the Skype’ interviews, quality is limited to bandwidth, web-cams, and ability to literally LIVE mix the conversations. However, it works, and with Over the Skype, we will bring you more than 20 exciting people, and angles on the industry as it is right now. Enjoy!
Arctic Paper