News Tip-Offs and Investigations

Tip-off: BlueNova residential BESS — ISO 9001 design-control admissions on recorded call (7-year failure)

On a recorded phone call on 18 May 2026, BlueNova's Head of Aftersales Support Services admitted that the original engineers who designed and built my battery system are no longer with the company, that design records are incomplete, and that there are aspects of the legacy designs current engineers do not fully understand.

For a lithium BESS installed in homes — not a disposable gadget — that raises serious ISO 9001:2015-style questions about design control, documented information, traceability, and who carries engineering responsibility for packs still on customers' walls.

On the same call he could not guarantee the existing installation could be made to work. The practical offer was to pay again for new batteries (16 kWh unit) or return both packs — seven years after purchase, with years of repairs, loan units, workshop stays, and closed support cases while the system remained broken.

This sits next to a story MyBroadband already ran (August 2025): Reunert told shareholders Blue Nova's board had decided to sell due to continued negative performance, that it would be an "asset held for sale" and "discontinued operation", and that the Competition Commission had approved ACDC Dynamics' acquisition:

mybroadband.co.za

South Africa’s biggest electrical product supplier buys struggling battery manufacturer

Among the battery manufacturer’s biggest customers is upmarket Gauteng residential estate Midstream.
mybroadband.co.za mybroadband.co.za

I have documented the full timeline publicly — including a three-part series on admissions from that call — here:

www.facebook.com

BlueNova: 7 Years Later - Still Not Working

BlueNova: 7 Years Later - Still Not Working. 8 likes · 22 talking about this. Documenting my long-term experience with a BlueNova battery system integrated with a Studer inverter. Seven years of...
www.facebook.com www.facebook.com
("BlueNova: 7 Years Later - Still Not Working")

Would MyBroadband consider reviewing this as a news story — whether as a follow-up to the Reunert/ACDC piece or a consumer investigation — to help other customers facing the same BlueNova accountability problem?
 
I do not have all the details, hence posting here for MyBroadband to check and do an article maybe.
 
quovadis said:
“Further to our previous communications, Rectron is aware of recent media reports concerning the disruption currently affecting certain of its systems and operations.

We can confirm that Rectron has experienced a technology incident and immediately activated its incident response procedures. Rectron is in the process of investigating the nature and root cause of the incident and remains focused on its recovery efforts and on resuming normal operations as soon as reasonably practicable.

As the investigation remains ongoing, it would be inappropriate to speculate on the cause, scope or impact of the incident at this stage. Further information will be provided once the relevant facts have been established and verified.”
Click to expand...
 
where is this article myBB?
www.techspot.com

Interpol's latest crackdown targeted the global network behind West African cyber-scams

From November 2025 to June 2026, Interpol worked to dismantle a massive network assisting cybercrime gangs based in West African nations. After the eight-month investigation, "Operation Jackal...
www.techspot.com www.techspot.com
In South Africa, Interpol worked with local authorities to raid seven locations where criminals were running romance and financial scams targeting English-speaking retirees. In Italy, one person was identified for their alleged involvement in a money-laundering operation active across Europe.
Click to expand...
im sure we can get more details ... ? some good news, i know - bad news gets more clicks..
 
chrisGolf said:
where is this article myBB?
www.techspot.com

Interpol's latest crackdown targeted the global network behind West African cyber-scams

From November 2025 to June 2026, Interpol worked to dismantle a massive network assisting cybercrime gangs based in West African nations. After the eight-month investigation, "Operation Jackal...
www.techspot.com www.techspot.com

im sure we can get more details ... ? some good news, i know - bad news gets more clicks..
Click to expand...
Here's the bad news part
capeargus.co.za

South Africa named the epicentre of cybercrime in Africa by Interpol

South Africa is now the epicentre of cybercriminal activity in Africa, facing alarming statistics that highlight a surge in sophisticated digital attacks, including ransomware and business email compromise.
capeargus.co.za capeargus.co.za

Independent context
gasa.org

State of Scams in South Africa - 2026

This study of 1,280 South African adults shows that scam exposure is widespread, with 85% of participants encountering a scam in the past year. While 85% say they are confident in recognizing scams, 54% still interacted with a scammer (71% of those exposed). Ultimately, 19% experienced financial...
gasa.org gasa.org
 
chrisGolf said:
where is this article myBB? im sure we can get more details ... ?
Click to expand...
Thanks for flagging this, it really helps.

To explain a bit: The problem is Interpol drip-feeding information about this. It makes it easy to miss info buried 800 words into a press release.

For context: We look for news relevant to a South African audience. They put out something about a big African bust awhile ago (I want to say weeks, but it might be months), so naturally we contacted them for comment about the SA leg of op. Zero feedback. Not even an ACK.

So then when they put out another statement, we might not pay much attention to it because it's also going to be Africa this and Africa that with no details about what happened in SA.

Which I do understand, because these ops involve the US Secret Service and various 3-letter agencies who don't want details out that could hurt another op.

Anyway... this time was different. We found some interesting info hidden in the new press release and the article was up earlier today.

chrisGolf said:
some good news, i know - bad news gets more clicks..
Click to expand...
Funny enough, things have become more nuanced than "if it bleeds it leads". Some types of good news hits big just like some types of bad news hits big.
 
Last edited:
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter
X