Author: Gugu Lourie

MTN Group announced today the return of Stephen Blewitt to the group as Operations Executive: Markets, effective July 1, 2023. Stephen will be taking over from Wim Vanhelleputte, who is departing to pursue new opportunities outside the company. In his new role, Stephen will be the Executive responsible for our WECA markets of Liberia, Guinea Conakry, Guinea Bissau and Congo Brazzaville, and also provide general operations support across the same region, reporting into the Senior Vice President: Markets, Ebenezer Twum Asante. Stephen Blewitt brings a wealth of experience to his new position, having most recently served as the Group Chief…

The Empire Partner Foundation (EPF) is seeking sponsors for the inaugural 2023 South African Annual Tech for Innovation and Social Impact Awards. The awards ceremony, which will be held on Saturday 11 November 2023 at the Montecasino Ballroom in Fourways, Johannesburg, is set to be the epitome of all ICT awards ceremonies in the country. The awards provide a platform for youths, businesses, startups, and innovators to showcase their tech solutions. The awards aim to promote tech innovation, facilitate networking opportunities, provide a platform for market access for young entrepreneurs and promote skill development. “We ask you to support our upcoming…

Although the demand for electricity is increasing, Eskom is able to maintain a much lower stage of load shedding due to the improvement of the Energy Availability Factor (EAF), says Minister of Electricity, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa. Addressing a virtual media briefing on Sunday, Ramokgopa said Eskom is much closer to achieving its target of 70% EAF. “The EAF has been consistent on an average of 60% for the past 14 days. We are getting much closer to the target of 70% EAF that we had promised, and the benefit will be to the South African economy, households and the ability…

JSE-listed retailer Mr Price today released its full-year 2023 results for the 52 weeks ended 1 April 2023. Group revenue increased by 17.0% to R32.9 billion, supported by the acquisition of 70% of Studio 88 with effect from 4 October 2022. With the addition of Studio 88, the group’s total number of shops increased to 2 702. The three recent acquisitions delivered double-digit sales growth and had a positive impact on the group’s profit. The retailer said a significant increase in power cuts severely impacted the key festive months, resulting in an annual EBITDA increase of only 5,4% to R7,2…

Liquid Intelligent Technologies, a business of Cassava Technologies, a pan-African technology group, is proud to announce the opening of its office in East London in the Eastern Cape (EC). “The new East London office establishes a local presence for Liquid in the province, reinforcing our commitment to providing best-in-class service by leveraging advanced technology, offering exceptional customer support, prioritising security, maintaining compliance, and driving innovation. The business strives to exceed our client’s expectations and empower them to succeed in the dynamic and digitally connected world,” said Deon Geyser, Chief Executive Officer of Liquid Intelligent Technologies, South Africa. Access to broadband…

The Empire Partner Foundation (EPF), in collaboration with MICT SETA, has launched a call for nominations for the Inaugural 2023 South African Annual Tech for Innovation and Social Impact Awards. EPF has been pioneering youth and entrepreneurship development in the ICT sector since 2016. The South African Annual Tech for Innovation and Social Impact Awards aim to recognise South African talent and locally developed technologies that have made a significant impact on the advancement of technology in the country. EPF said the awards aim to promote a vibrant and competitive technology ecosystem in the country, while supporting local talent and…

In 2023, there have been so many layoffs in the technology industry that TechCrunch labelled it a “reckoning” in its extensive list released late April. To date, across numerous organisations that include Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Dropbox and Zoom, to name but a few, there have been nearly 169,000 layoffs. Meta is expected to lay off 10,000 roles in the next few months and Disney 7,000. And yet, in cybersecurity there are still more “jobs open than people to fill them”. According to Anna Collard, SVP Content Strategy & Evangelist at KnowBe4 AFRICA, the biggest challenge facing the cybersecurity profession right…

Amazon Web Services (AWS) today announced that Old Mutual has closed its on-premises data centers and migrated its entire information technology (IT) infrastructure, including its banking, insurance, and wealth management systems, to AWS. The migration represents a significant step in Old Mutual’s digital transformation. Old Mutual is using AWS’s proven, secure, and highly performant infrastructure to decrease financial transaction processing time by two-thirds, reduce downtime by 50%, streamline the development of new and more relevant insurance products, and drive innovation across its business with machine learning (ML).  The full migration to AWS involved moving more than 2,000 on-premises servers, 215…

JLR has unveiled a series of subtle but long-awaited updates to the second-generation Range Rover Evoque for the 2024 model year. The new Range Rover Evoque is available to order now with prices starting at R1.25 million. Configure yours here – range-rover/range-rover-evoque Inside, Range Rover’s reductive design philosophy is amplified with a new 11.4-inch curved glass touchscreen, seemingly floating within the driver’s eyeline for improved visibility, while liberating space for interior stowage and Wireless Device Charging. Powered by Pivi Pro, with regular Software Over The Air drops, the new centre console offers clients a seamless, comfortable digital experience. The interface is…

Google for Startups (GfS) has selected three South African startups to be part of its $4 million (R73.6 million) Black Founders Fund for innovators across the continent. The Black Founders Fund, now in its third year, aims to help tackle systemic racial inequality in venture capital (VC) funding by providing equity-free grants and mentoring to early stage Black-led high-growth businesses across Europe and Africa. The selected cohort of 40 startups from Europe and Africa, includes 25 African startups that embody the diverse entrepreneurial spirit across the African continent. Startups led or co-founded by women make up 72% of the group,…