London's Oxford Street to go traffic-free in shopping area makeover
The plan to rid Oxford Street of cars and buses, which has been more than 20 years in the making, looks set to become a reality after consultations on proposals published in September showed most Londoners and businesses back the idea.
Supporters of pedestrianising the mile-long stretch in central London said similar traffic-free schemes for Times Square in New York and La Rambla in Barcelona have breathed new life into tired areas.
'We want to rejuvenate Oxford Street, establish it as a global leader for shopping, leisure and outdoor events with a world-class, accessible, pedestrianised avenue,' Khan said when announcing the results of the public consultation.
Oxford Street attracts about 500,000 visitors every day, according to the mayor's office, but many flagship shops including House of Fraser and Topshop have shut in recent years, and Khan said the area had been neglected.
He will work with the government on legislation to go traffic-free, which would happen 'as quickly as possible'. That will require finding new routes for the dozens of buses which travel on the street every hour.
The government said Khan's plan for a new 'beautiful public space' will attract more tourists, drive new investment in the area and create jobs.
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The Citizen
26-06-2025
- The Citizen
Missing broker, missing money
Investors in Estcourt are knocking on all doors in their search for millions they invested with a local financial advisor. The advisor's lawyer says the matter is subject to police investigations and all investors are regarded as potential state witnesses. Picture: AdobeStock At least 40 people in the small town of Estcourt in KwaZulu-Natal are desperately looking for their financial advisor amid allegations that investments that were supposed to be placed with financial institutions have gone missing. Rumours circulate among the town's 32 000 residents that as much as R200 million could be involved. Investors have been knocking on every possible door to try to find the owner of Wood & Boon Insurance Brokers, Rookshana Khan, or her daughter, Rubina Khan. Their first stop was the financial advisor's office, however, they usually found it deserted. The stream of worried investors then started knocking on the door of a financial advisor working in the same building. The next stop was the local police station, but it had received so many complaints the would-be investors were allegedly turned away. One investor laid a complaint with the Office of the Ombud for Financial Services Providers (Fais Ombud), saying that she had invested R500 000 in August 2024 with the goal of receiving a monthly income. The ombud replied that there was 'insufficient information' to investigate the matter. ALSO READ: FSCA fines Middelburg insurance broker R1 million and debars her for 15 years No response Wood & Boon is registered as a Financial Services Provider (FSP) with the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) – and Khan is listed as the key individual, compliance officer and one of the registered representatives. Her daughter is also listed as a representative. The investor received only two payments of R5 500 each, then nothing. She has been unable to get hold of Khan since August 2024 and still wants to know where her money is. The Fais Ombud said in its response to the complaint that there is no evidence that Khan had invested the money in a regulated financial product and the matter is outside of its authority. 'There is nothing to suggest that the respondent provided you with a financial service in respect of a recognised financial product as defined in the Financial Advisory and Intermediary Services (Fais) Act to empower this office with the required jurisdiction to access and dispose of this complaint,' it said. It noted that the documents apparently show that the investor agreed to invest with Khan directly. ALSO READ: FSCA says watch out for these scammers Subject to police investigation The ombud also says it could not assist as it was unable to reach the Wood & Boon office nor any of its representatives. 'The respondent has, to date, not responded to your complaint despite the six-week period in terms of our rules having passed. The respondent has, however, responded to a few other complaints through her lawyers, Van Rooyen Attorneys Inc. 'In their letter, the representative of the respondent mentions that they act on behalf of Wood and Boon Insurance Brokers CC and Mrs R Khan. Mrs Khan is currently admitted to the hospital, and they are unable to obtain detailed instructions. 'In their response to this office, they mention that the current matter is the subject of a police investigation and, as such, their client would prefer not to respond to the complaint while the investigations are ongoing. 'In circumstances such as these, where there is no further information available and the respondent is not cooperating in providing the information, this Office is unable to take the matter further,' the Fais Ombud says. ALSO READ: FSCA warning: These well-known people cannot help you to invest Don't ask … On 16 January 2025, Khan's lawyers addressed a letter to 'Wood & Boon Investors' in which the lawyer, Ig van Rooyen, tells investors not to contact his clients asking about their investments, hinting at legal repercussions should they do so. 'We act on instructions of Mrs. R Khan. It is our instructions that investment clients of Wood & Boon Insurance Brokers CC are attempting to contact our client and her daughter directly regarding the status of their investments. 'Please note that this matter is subject to Police investigations and all investors are regarded as potential State witnesses. Communications between our client and investors may therefore be regarded as interference with State witnesses, either directly or indirectly. Our client therefore kindly requests that all attempts at communications with her or her family be stopped immediately,' wrote Van Rooyen. He said his client is cooperating with the authorities and has not left South Africa as some investors have claimed. Van Rooyen confirmed that he is still acting for Khan, but that he could not supply a telephone number on which she could be reached. The fact that the police as well as financial authorities are turning people away – and a legal letter that seems threatening – has fuelled rumours that Khan is being 'protected', according to one disappointed investor. Read the letter from Van Rooyen Attorneys Inc, as supplied by the Fais Ombud. ALSO READ: FSCA warns consumers about investments with these unregistered entities Wood & Boon still registered with FSCA While the Fais Ombud promised to forward the complaint to the FSCA for investigation, the FSCA was unaware of the allegations against the broker when asked for comment this week. Gerhard van Deventer, divisional executive of the FSCA's enforcement department, says Wood & Boon is still registered with the FSCA as an authorised Category I FSP. This allows the brokerage to give advice and act as intermediary for long and short term insurance and investment products. It can also give advice and sell authorised retail pension fund products and regulated collective investment products, such as unit trusts. Van Deventer says that, according to FSCA records, the brokerage and its representatives are in good standing with the FSCA, but it will immediately investigate. 'The FSCA has not received any complaints against the FSP or its key individual, Mrs R. Khan,' he says. The FSCA says that its rules and regulations require that contact information on record for key individuals and compliance officers must be correct at all times. 'This forms part of the operational ability requirements that FSPs are obligated to comply with,' says Van Deventer. This article was republished from Moneyweb. Read the original here.
TimesLIVE
18-06-2025
- TimesLIVE
London's Oxford Street to go traffic-free in shopping area makeover
London's Oxford Street, one of Britain's busiest and most famous shopping districts, will be pedestrianised, London mayor Sadiq Khan said on Tuesday, in a move designed to smarten the area and create a new public space to help drive growth. The plan to rid Oxford Street of cars and buses, which has been more than 20 years in the making, looks set to become a reality after consultations on proposals published in September showed most Londoners and businesses back the idea. Supporters of pedestrianising the mile-long stretch in central London said similar traffic-free schemes for Times Square in New York and La Rambla in Barcelona have breathed new life into tired areas. 'We want to rejuvenate Oxford Street, establish it as a global leader for shopping, leisure and outdoor events with a world-class, accessible, pedestrianised avenue,' Khan said when announcing the results of the public consultation. Oxford Street attracts about 500,000 visitors every day, according to the mayor's office, but many flagship shops including House of Fraser and Topshop have shut in recent years, and Khan said the area had been neglected. He will work with the government on legislation to go traffic-free, which would happen 'as quickly as possible'. That will require finding new routes for the dozens of buses which travel on the street every hour. The government said Khan's plan for a new 'beautiful public space' will attract more tourists, drive new investment in the area and create jobs.
IOL News
17-06-2025
- IOL News
Vodacom invests R100 million to expand rural network in KwaZulu-Natal
Vodacom has announced a R100 million investment to build 106 new base station sites in deep rural areas of KwaZulu-Natal Image: File image Vodacom has announced a R100 million investment to build 106 new base station sites in deep rural areas of KwaZulu-Natal, aiming to improve mobile connectivity for hundreds of thousands of people currently without reliable access. According to the mobile operator, the rollout will cover 23 municipalities across 11 districts, including Amajuba, eThekwini, Harry Gwala, iLembe, King Cetshwayo, Ugu, Umgungundlovu, uMzinyathi, Uthukela, and Zululand, uMhlabuyalingana, uMfolozi, uMlalazi, uMsinga, uMzumbe, uMgeni, Ray Nkonyeni, Mandeni, eNdumeni, eDumbe, Msunduzi, Newcastle, and Nqutu. The project forms part of the company's Rural Coverage Acceleration Programme, which is focused on expanding network infrastructure in underserved regions. The company says it plans to complete the deployment within the current financial year. Research from GSMA indicates that access to high-speed broadband is crucial for rural development; however, many deep rural communities still face limited connectivity. Estimates suggest that around half of the global population, around 4 billion people remain without internet access. "Ensuring network connectivity for individuals living in deep rural areas is fundamental to Vodacom's commitment to extending service to those in remote areas,". "This aligns with our goal of connecting everyone, regardless of whether they live in urban centres, townships, or rural locations, which requires investment. We are focused on eliminating barriers and empowering citizens in rural and township communities to enjoy the same network experience as those in metropolitan areas and this way reap the economic benefits of the Digital Economy," Imran Khan, Managing Executive for Vodacom KwaZulu-Natal region said. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Khan added they aim to complete the rollout within the current financial year and are seeking support from authorities to speed up site approvals. "We are committed to constructing and activating these new sites within this financial year. To achieve our goal and expedite the deployment, we are seeking collaboration from the authorities, particularly in minimising lengthy site approval times. We believe this can be accomplished to assist us in executing a comprehensive rollout of rural sites, facilitating digital transformation, thereby enabling numerous individuals in these regions to access the socio-economic benefits of the internet age. IOL Tech Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel
