Latest news with #DellXPS16
The Citizen
05-05-2025
- The Citizen
R2 million laptop saga triggers disciplinary action in Mpumalanga education department
All implicated officials will be disciplined after the department paid more than R91 000 each for 22 laptops, violating procurement rules. All Mpumalanga Department of Education officials, including the head of the department, will face disciplinary action for the irregular procurement of 22 laptops for a staggering R2 million. Mpumalanga Premier Mandla Ndlovu released the much-anticipated findings of an investigation into the so-called Mpumalanga laptop saga on Monday morning. The Department of Education purchased 22 laptops and a printer for R2 million, which means each laptop cost over R91,482.50, well above the market price. 22 laptops for R2 million The premier instituted an investigation at the beginning of April 2025 to gather facts after a whistleblower first alerted Ndlovu of the matter on 15 February. 'After receiving an unsatisfactory response from the department, I then instructed the Chief Directorate: Integrity, Forensic Investigation and Security Management within the office of the premier to conduct an investigation into the procurement of the 22 laptops by the education department at a cost of R91 482.50 each,' he said during a media briefing. ALSO READ: Wasteful expenditure? This is what a R91 000 laptop gets you [VIDEO] Based on the information they gathered, the interviews they conducted, and the supporting documentation, the provincial government concluded that officials had materially flawed the procurement process. The investigation revealed that departmental officials irregularly specified a particular brand and locality for laptop procurement, limiting supplier responses. They accepted non-compliant laptops with varied specifications without a proper process and didn't negotiate a lesser price, resulting in overpayment. Laptop procurement process flawed The investigation also revealed that the process involved misrepresentation and possible fraud. The supplier and department officials misrepresented various aspects of the laptop procurement process, including compliance with specifications, procurement procedures, and payment amounts, leading to improper payments for inferior goods. Ndlovu said department officials acted dishonestly by investigating a matter in which they were implicated, hiding their involvement, providing false information, and misleading senior leaders, including the MEC, by providing inaccurate information. ALSO READ: Not adding up: More than 400 schools don't teach Mathematics The service provider also acted in a grossly dishonest manner when attempting to cover up its failure to comply with the agreed specifications. The department hired a service provider to supply 22 Dell XPS 15 laptops and 1 HP printer for R2 020 883.45. A market scan showed Dell XPS 16 laptops are the most expensive, and Dell XPS 13 laptops are the least expensive. The investigation revealed that departmental officials — including those who approved the procurement and served on the relevant committees — failed to comply with the State Information Technology Agency (Sita) guidelines for procuring IT equipment. Dept officials and service provider 'acted dishonestly' The officials also violated sections of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) concerning financial management and internal controls, ignored Public Service Act provisions for correcting errors, and potentially breached the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act by enabling a service provider to defraud the department. The Office of the Premier recommended that the department recover financial losses from the service provider, blacklist the provider, discipline implicated officials, and conduct lifestyle audits on those officials. ALSO READ: Schooling the system: Experts urge SA to learn from Oprah academy's trauma-informed model A governance review will assess the department's governance and accountability arrangements, compliance with regulations, and reporting quality. The premier said a provincial team will be established to identify and enhance weak internal controls in ICT procurement and monitor compliance with ICT procurement regulations. Progress report on 30 June The premier's office will release a progress report on 30 June, detailing the implementation of all the recommendations derived from this investigation report. 'I want to assure the people of Mpumalanga and the country that this government is committed to clean, ethical and transparent governance,' Ndlovu said. Watch Premier Ndlovu release the findings of the investigation here:
IOL News
22-04-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Is the R2 million Mpumalanga laptop scandal coming to an end? Premier Ndlovu promises transparency
Premier Mandla Ndlovu has announced that the investigation into the Mpumalanga Department of Education's controversial R2 million laptop purchase is approaching its conclusion. The acquisition of 22 Dell XPS 16 laptops, each costing R91,480, has ignited widespread outrage and raised serious concerns regarding government spending priorities and procurement practices. 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 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. Next Stay Close ✕ During an oral reply session at the Provincial Legislature, Premier Ndlovu confirmed that the investigation is 'at an advanced stage' and that transparency would be ensured. 'Because of the seriousness of this issue, once the investigation is finalised next week, we will inform the public. In the interest of fair administrative justice, I urge you all to allow the investigation to be finalised without undue pressure,' said Ndlovu. The Premier emphasised the 7th administration's commitment to good governance, noting the importance of 'sound financial grounds' in state acquisitions. 'The decision is testament to the commitment of the 7th administration to the priorities, as set out in the Medium-Term Development Plan (MTDP), one of which is the building of a capable, ethical and developmental state,' he said. IOL previously reported that the Department of Education has since confirmed the purchase, stating that the laptops were bought in December 2024 for employees within the Education Management Information Systems (EMIS) and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) teams. According to the department, 'Other officials whose operational responsibilities require high-performance computing equipment also benefited.' In a formal statement released Saturday, the department acknowledged the high cost of the devices but emphasised their importance to operations that include managing Office 365 accounts, supporting schools, troubleshooting, and handling real-time technical support. Tasks listed included resetting passwords via Active Directory, rebuilding accounts, and configuring multi-factor authentication. Despite speculation, Education MEC Catherine Dlamini was not involved in the procurement process. 'It must be emphasised that the MEC was not involved in the procurement process at any stage, nor did she receive any of the laptops in question,' the department clarified. 'By law, the MEC is not involved in any procurement processes. To implicate her or her office in this matter is both misleading and unjust and undermines the principles of fair and transparent administration.' In the Legislature, Dlamini confirmed she is still using a second-hand laptop issued to her upon taking office in July 2024. She acknowledged the steep price of the new laptops, stating that each would cost approximately R91,482.50. The Democratic Alliance (DA) in the province has called for swift and independent action. In an interview on Newzroom Afrika, DA member of the Mpumalanga Legislature, Annerie Weber criticised the expenditure, saying: 'It was shocking when the news broke. It's R91,480 per laptop. This is a really shocking state of events.' She questioned the necessity of such high-end laptops for departmental use, stating that more affordable models could have sufficed. 'The department went by a Polo, which they needed, but they actually bought a Rolls-Royce.' Weber added, 'This is an exuberant amount of money. It's a waste of expenditure. In a province where we have more than 1,700 vacant positions and there's no money to fill these positions, it is not acceptable to spend two million rand on laptops.' She also raised concerns over whether the purchase adhered to State Information Technology Agency (SITA) guidelines, which are intended to ensure government equipment is certified and cost-effective. 'SITA is very, very important to ensure that we don't buy fake or weak equipment for our government institutions.' The DA has pledged to push for accountability and will seek confirmation on whether the procurement was SITA-compliant, as well as whether the hardware matched the department's actual needs. The final report from the investigation is expected to be released in the coming week.
The Citizen
22-04-2025
- Business
- The Citizen
Wasteful expenditure? This is what a R91 000 laptop gets you
The Mpumalanga department of education paid R2 million for 22 laptops. Mpumalanga premier Mandla Ndlovu has launched an investigation into the provincial education department after it emerged that 22 laptops were purchased for a staggering R2 million. The 22 laptops, each costing close to R91 500, were bought for a select group of employees in December 2024. Expensive laptop So, what does a R91 500 laptop get you? The Citizen checked online and found the Dell XPS 16s laptop, the brand that was apparently purchased by the department. Online retailer Takelot sells the Dell XPS 16s laptop for R91 161. The Dell XPS 16 features a 16.3-inch display with a futuristic seamless touchpad and an LED touch strip replacing the top row of function keys. An upgrade from the base model gets you 32GB of RAM, RTX 4070 graphics, a 1TB SSD and a 4K OLED display. For the case, there is a choice between a creamy silver that Dell calls platinum or a matte black that the company dubs graphite. WATCH Cathy Dlamini answering questions about the laptops ♦️MUST WATCH♦️ The MEC for Education in Mpumalanga Province Ms Cathy Dlamini confirmed during a seating in the legislature, when asked a question by MPL Fighter Hon Ntsako Mkhabela, that the department bought 22 laptops for an amount of R2,020,883.45 meaning each laptop costed… — @Mpumalanga _EFF (@MpumalangaEff) April 21, 2025 ALSO READ: Justice department dismisses 54 officials in major crackdown Striking features You can also opt for vPro, which delivers remote-management features for IT departments in charge of a fleet of XPS 16 machines. It's a versatile performer, offering strong application performance as well as graphics performance. Dell outfits the XPS 16 9640 with a robust six-cell, 99.5-watt-hour battery. It lasted more than 11.5 hours on our online streaming battery drain test, which is a positive result for any laptop. The most striking part of the XPS 16 design is its apparent lack of a touchpad. It lacks borders and blends seamlessly into the wide wrist rest. The invisible touchpad is centred below the display and is large enough. The haptic feedback is excellent and customisable, so you can dial in how lively you'd like the click response to be. Along with strong visuals, the XPS 16 9630 boasts impressive audio output. Another upgrade the XPS 16 received from the previous XPS 17 is a 1080p webcam. 'High performance machines' The laptops, described by the department as 'high-performance machines', were acquired for use by the Education Management Information Systems and Information and Communication Technology teams. These units are responsible for managing tech infrastructure, troubleshooting and maintaining digital support for schools across the province. Ndlovu's spokesperson, George Mthethwa, told The Citizen that the make of the laptops will be disclosed after the investigation. 'The premier has instituted an investigation into this matter. That investigation will then assist us in determining the types of laptops that were procured, because there are a lot of others who are saying it's a Dell, and it's this kind of program loaded on it. Others are referring to other brands of laptops. 'So our position is that the investigation can be concluded, and then it will give us all those answers,' Mthethwa said. ALSO READ: In the dawn of GenAI, Dell goes full AI with new laptops Investigations Mthethwa said the investigation is being expedited. 'By the end of next week, the investigation will have been concluded. In fact, the premier is going to even address the public around the outcome of the investigation.' Last week education MEC Cathy Dlamini revealed the details of the laptops when responding to questions from EFF lawmaker Ntsako Mkhabela in the provincial legislature. Procurement specifications Mkhabela demanded to know why the laptops were acquired despite failing to meet procurement specifications. 'Our preliminary report from our internal investigation does indicate that the service provider did not deliver as per the specifications provided. The matter is currently being investigated through the integrity management unit in the Office of the Premier.' Total cost Answering the question about how much the laptops cost the department, Dlamini revealed the amount. 'The department was charged R91 482.50 each for the managers' laptops. The honourable MEC is not one of the beneficiaries of these laptops, and she continues to use the second-hand laptop that was provided to her in July 2024 when she joined the department.' Dlamini added that the laptops were for office-based officials in the department. 'The total amount paid for the 22 laptops was R2 020 883.45.' Unimpressed Mkhabela was unimpressed and questioned the hefty price tag. 'I am just shattered by the number of laptops that were purchased. We want to know what type of laptop this is. I want to ask the MEC to at least give us the name of this laptop so that we know we are talking about a R91 000 laptop because we have never seen such a laptop in all the shops,' said Mkhabela. Dlamini asked that she be allowed to respond in writing, as the answer was technical. Dlamini told the sitting that the procurement followed national protocols and used a panel of suppliers approved by the State Information Technology Agency (Sita). Sita is a public entity under the department of communications and digital technologies led by Minister Solly Malatsi. ALSO READ: Dell announces 5K 40-inch UltraSharp Curved Thunderbolt Hub Monitor
Yahoo
17-02-2025
- Yahoo
The best laptop power banks for 2025
There's nothing worse than trying to get work done offsite and realizing your laptop is nearly dead. OK, there are plenty of worse things, but running out of battery when you're not near an outlet can be seriously inconvenient. Laptop power banks are similar to other rechargeable banks you may have used to top off a smartphone, but with larger capacities and more ports. There's no standard rating to qualify a battery as a laptop-grade brick, but here we only considered versions with at least a 20,000mAh capacity so they can deliver enough charge but under 27,000mAh (99Wh) so the TSA will let you fly with them in your carry-on luggage. After testing a slew of popular options over the past couple of years, we think these are the best laptop power banks you can buy. Best laptop power banks for 2025 What to look for in a laptop power bank How we test portable laptop chargers Laptop power bank FAQs If you just need to keep a smartphone from dying before you can make it home, just about any power bank will do. But if you need to revive multiple devices or the substantial battery of a laptop, you'll want something with a high milliamp-hour (mAh) capacity. A power bank capable of delivering enough power to a laptop will have a capacity between 20,000 and 27,000 mAh. Go higher than 27,000mAh and you likely won't be able to take it on an airplane, which is why most portable chargers top out around that number. Since the voltage for most portable power banks is around 3.7 volts, a 27,000mAh battery translates to 99.9 watt hours — which is the maximum capacity the TSA will allow for carry-on luggage. (And note that these batteries can't be checked, regardless of size). If you want something even bigger than a laptop power bank, and don't need to fly with it, you'll likely want to look into portable power stations. These can be the size of a car battery or larger and can potentially fuel an entire weekend away. Another thing to keep in mind is that the capacity listed in a power bank's specs is not what will be delivered to your devices. As I mentioned, the capacity of these banks is around 25,000mAh. Even the huge battery on a 16-inch MacBook Pro or a Dell XPS 16 has a mAh rating of around 5,000 - 6,000mAh, so you might think you'd get five full charges but in reality, you only get about a single 70-percent charge. The voltage is different (typically 3.7V for the power bank and 11.4V for a laptop) which makes the watt-hours, or the amount of energy each battery can hold, different (working out to 92Wh for the battery and 72Wh for the built-in laptop batteries). On top of that, in order to feed a charge from a power bank to a laptop, a voltage conversion takes place and that dissipates a decent amount of energy. Without turning this into a physics lesson, this all means that a power bank with a 25,000mAh (or 92Wh) capacity will typically fill a 5,000mAh (or 72Wh) laptop battery to about 75 percent. In my tests, I averaged about a 60-percent efficiency rate between a power bank's listed capacity and the actual charge delivered. Every large power bank I've tested has at least three USB ports, with a mix of USB-C and USB-A, which should cover nearly any portable device you need to recharge — earbuds, phones, tablets, laptops, you name it. In addition to the different plug formats, some ports supply power at different wattages. For example, one USB-C port might be rated for 60 watts, while the one next to it is rated for 100 watts. So if you've got a device that's capable of 70W fast charging, such as the new MacBook Air, you'd want to opt for the 100W port to get the best charging speeds possible. Note that devices with a smaller wattage draw won't be negatively affected by connecting to ports with high ratings. For example, a Galaxy S24 Ultra, capable of 45W super fast charging, can happily plug into the 100W port. A device will only draw what it can take, regardless of what a port can supply. Just remember that the port, device and cable need to be at or above the desired wattage rating to achieve maximum charging rates. Some of these larger batteries also have AC ports. It might seem like a natural fit to plug in your laptop's power adapter for a recharge. But really, the AC port should only be for devices that can't use USB — such as a lamp or a printer. Plugging a power adapter into the AC port only wastes energy through conversion. First, the battery converts its DC power to supply the port with AC power, then the power adapter converts that AC power back to DC so your laptop can take it in. And as you'll remember from physics class, each time energy is converted, some is lost to heat and other dissipations. Better to cut out the middleman and just send that DC power straight from the battery to the device. Also, you can use more than one port at a time with these devices; just remember that the speed of whatever you're charging will likely go down, and of course, the battery is going to drain proportionally to what you're refilling. Just in the last year and a half that I've been testing portable power banks, wireless charging capabilities have noticeably improved. The first few I tried were painfully slow and not worth recommending. Now the wireless pads built into power banks are impressively fast — particularly, in my experience, when charging Samsung Galaxy phones (though the lack of a stabilizing magnetic connection like Apple's MagSafe means they only work when rested flat on a pad). Most wireless charging connections can be used while other ports are also being employed, making them convenient for some mobile battlestation setups. Of course, wireless charging is always less efficient than wired, and recharging from an external battery is less efficient in general. If you want to waste as little energy as possible, you're better off sticking to wired connections. All power banks are designed to be portable, but there's a big difference between a pocket-friendly 5,000mAh battery and one of these laptop-compatible bruisers. Most of the latter weigh between a pound and a half to two pounds, which is a considerable addition to a backpack. Many of the options listed here have a display to tell you how much charge remains in the battery, which is helpful when you're trying to judiciously meet out charges to your devices. If a bank has a wireless connection, the pad is usually on the flat top and any available AC connection is usually at one end. Both may require you to engage those charging methods. Don't be like me and grumble loudly that you got a bum unit without pressing (and sometimes double pressing) all the buttons first. For the past year and a half, I've been testing and using dozens of portable batteries for our other battery guide. Some of those batteries include the higher-capacity power banks you see here. I also got a hold of a few extra banks just for this guide to make sure we covered what's available. I went for brands I'm already familiar with, as well as battery packs from well-received manufacturers I hadn't tried before (like UGREEN and Lion Energy). I only considered banks with at least a 20,000mAh capacity and mostly stuck with those that rated 25,000mAh and higher. Here's everything we tested: Zendure Supertank Pro Mophie Powerstation Pro XL Mophie Powerstation Pro AC Lion Energy Eclipse Mag Lion Energy Trek Baseus Blade Laptop Anker Prime 27,650mAh Goal Zero Sherpa 100 AC Due to shipping and travel issues, I wasn't able to test two of the batteries I had slated: the HyperJuice 245W and the UGREEN Power Bank 25,000mAh. Once I've had a chance to see how these two perform — as well as any new worthy contenders that hit the market — I'll update this guide accordingly. I tested each power bank with an iPhone 15, a Galaxy S23 Ultra, an iPad Air (M1) and a 16-inch MacBook Pro with the M1 Pro chip. Even though these banks can charge multiple devices at once, I refilled one at a time, to make side-by-side comparisons more straightforward. I drained the batteries of the phones and tablets to between zero and five percent and then didn't use any device as it refilled. For the MacBook, I let it run down to 10 percent before plugging in the power bank. That's when most laptops give display a 'connect to power' warning, as draining any battery to empty will compromise the battery life. I then used it as one might in a mobile office, with a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse, while connected to Wi-Fi and a VPN. For each test, I noted how long a completely charged battery took to get a device back to full and how much of the battery's capacity was used up in one charge. I also noted things like portability, apparent durability, helpful features and overall design. For reference, here are the battery capacities of the devices I used: iPhone 15: 3,349mAh Galaxy S23 Ultra: 4,855mAh iPad Air (5th gen): 7,729mAh 16-inch M1 Pro MacBook Pro: 27,027mAh The main difference is size. Phone power banks tend to have a capacity ranging from 5,000mAh to 20,000mAh and laptop powerbanks are typically rated between 20,000mAh and 27,000mAh. There's no official definition, however. Laptop batteries are simply larger and need a bigger supply of power to give them a meaningful charge. You can charge a power bank exactly as fast as the power bank's internal mechanisms will allow. Most batteries are limited in how quickly they can accept and deliver a charge to avoid dangerously overheating. But to make sure you're charging a bank as quickly as possible, make sure the wall adapter and the USB-C cable you are using have a high wattage rating — using a 5W power brick and a 10W cable will take a lot longer to refill your bank than a 65W wall charger and a 100W cord. Look for a power bank with a rating of at least 20,000mAh. Slightly smaller batteries may work, but they won't deliver a significant charge to your laptop. A milliamp hour (mAh) is how much a battery can hold, and most portable batteries list their capacity using mAh. If you get a battery rated at 20,000mAh or above, it should be able to charge your laptop. Using mAh to discuss laptop batteries can be confusing. Due to differing voltages, you can't directly compare the mAh ratings of a power bank battery to a laptop battery. Using watt-hours is a better gauge, as that calculation takes voltage into account.
