SOUTH African companies will from next week shut down their internet and e-mail connections to avoid a rash of computer viruses expected to strike on January 1. More than 10 prominent companies, including the top commercial banks, as among those who will cut their electronic links until a few days after New Year’s Eve to avoid the feared viruses. Clothing group Edgars will switch off internet and e-mail communications from Tuesday, but most others will shut down on December 31, it said. The US Federal Bureau of Investigation has received 30000 millennium virus warnings. Even if 29000 are hoaxes, computer experts believe the 1000 real ones will overwhelm their capacity to fight them. However, South Africa’s Y2K national support centre has said the country’s important computer systems are Y2K compliant.