JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA–(Marketwired – Aug. 18, 2014) – Net 1 UEPS Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:UEPS)(JSE:NT1) recently hosted the Minister of Social Development, Mrs. Bathabile Dlamini, in the Msinga region of KwaZulu Natal, where the company donated furniture for a child-headed household, and distributed 500 Sun-e-light solar powered lamps to members of the local community.
“Net1 heard of the plight of the Ngubane family, a child-headed household, and we decided to support the team that built a home for them by donating all the furniture they needed,” said Dr. Serge Belamant, Chief Executive Officer of Net1 UEPS Technologies. “We will also be donating ceiling boards and vinyl flooring for the home. Our visits to the area also highlighted the needs of the local community, some of which we hope to help address with the donation of the Sun-e-light lamps.”
Net1 Mobile Solutions, a subsidiary of Net1, created the Sun-e-light, a solar-powered lamp and cell phone charger, for South Africans who have little or no access to electricity, as an ongoing corporate social investment project. “Many communities do not have regular access to electricity and this limits what they can achieve once the sun has gone down – as well as forcing them to spend money on expensive and dangerous paraffin lamps. The Sun-e-light uses an abundant, free natural resource to create its own power, shedding light on the lives of disadvantaged people”, says Philip Belamant, Managing Director of Net1 Mobile Solutions.
The Sun-e-light is a solar-powered lamp that can be used as a torch, and it also has a port that can be used to charge mobile phones. The next generation Sun-e-light, available in the next few months can also be used as a Wi-Fi hotspot, offering users access to the Internet to search for employment opportunities, academic material and government’s online services and facilities.
The minister formally handed the keys of the house to Miss Ningi Bongisiwe Ngubane, the 25 year old head of the Ngubane family, and then joined Net1 at the Bhambatha School Hall to deliver the Sun-e-lights to the community. The local Amakhosi, Zondi, received the first solar lamp, and expressed his gratitude for the donation that will bring light and connectivity to the many households in the area that do not have electricity.
Notes to Editors
About Net1 (www.net1.com)
Net1 is a leading provider of alternative payment systems that leverage its Universal Electronic Payment System (“UEPS”), to facilitate biometrically secure, real-time electronic transaction processing to unbanked and under-banked populations of developing economies around the world in an online or offline environment.
Net1’s UEPS/EMV solution is interoperable with global EMV standards that seamlessly permit access to all the UEPS functionality in a traditional EMV environment. In addition to payments, UEPS can be used for banking, healthcare management, payroll, remittances, voting and identification. Net1 operates market-leading payment processors in South Africa and the Republic of Korea. In addition, Net1’s proprietary MVC technology offers secure mobile payments and banking services in developed and emerging countries.
Net1 has a primary listing on the NASDAQ and a secondary listing on the JSE Limited.
About Net1 Mobile Solutions (www.net1mobile.com)
South African-based technology entity Net1 Mobile Solutions encompasses a combination of world class solutions tailored to the global market. Our diverse product offering is consolidated into five primary business lines, namely: Mobile Banking, MNO Solutions, Chip SIM, third Party Payments (FIHRST) and Cryptography.
