Author: Gugu Lourie

Channel VAS is the premium FinTech provider of mobile financial services, airtime credit & airtime advance services, handset loans and big data analytics, all through cutting edge proprietary analytics tools. Operating since 2012 and expanded to more than 42 countries in Africa, Middle East, Asia and LATAM with a focus in emerging markets, Channel VAS supported mobile network operators (MNOs) and financial institutions to provide over R204 million ($12 million) credit daily to more than 750 million people in 2020 and continues to expand to new markets globally. The company, which is valued at R548 million in 2020 versus R423…

Chinese smartphone manufacturer Oppo is investing in South Africa with local head office and a commitment to making world-leading innovations more accessible. Oppo is the second-biggest smartphone manufacturer in China. From today South Africans will join the 350-million people who experience technology through Oppo’s uniquely familiar and personalised user experience around the world. Soon, South African consumers stand to benefit from the innovations like SuperVOOC rapid charging and bespoke audio tuning that Oppo has spread around the globe over the last 16 years. “Oppo is committed to offering South African businesses and consumers the best technology experience possible and is…

BMW has finally revealed its new M3 and M4 Coupe models that are likely to launch locally towards the middle of 2021. South Africans are not getting the standard M3 and M4 Coupe models as well as the manual gearbox. Only the BMW M3 Competition Sedan and the BMW M4 Competition Coupe will be introduced to the South African market. Both models will be introduced in the first half of 2021. BMW M3 Competition Sedan and BMW M4 Competition Coupé with eight-speed M Steptronic transmission. Competition models also available with M xDrive all-wheel-drive system for the first time, est. from summer 2021. M xDrive links up with Active M Differential, rear-wheel-biased…

Founders Factory Africa (FFA) announced today that it has selected RxAll, an AI-hyperspectral platform for authenticating drugs,  into its venture scale programme. Launched in 2018 and headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, FFA is backed by Standard Bank and Netcare Group. RxAll was founded by Adebayo Alonge, a Nigerian pharmacist, who developed a handheld nano-scanner called ‘RxScanner’ that detects fake drugs in real time after fake medicine nearly killed him. RxAll enables hospitals, pharmacies and patients in Africa to buy high quality, non-counterfeit medicines online by authenticating and delivering drugs through their curated marketplace. RxAll is dedicated to providing high quality…

The liquidity of MTN Zakhele Futhi has been impacted by MTN’s decision not to declare a dividend in its financial results for the six months ended 30 June 2020. The decision by MTN Group would affect MTN Zakhele Futhi’s ability to pay expected preference dividends. MTN Zakhele Futhi scheme, which is listed on the JSE, has entered discussions with MTN and the preference share funders to find solutions to mitigate the impact. “Further to the cautionary announcements dated 3 August 2020 and 6 August 2020, MTN Zakhele Futhi shareholders are advised that the funding from MTN in the amount of…

MTN Zakhele Futhi, the black economic empowerment scheme of MTN Group, has tapped lawyer Belinda Mapongwana as its chairperson. Mapongwana will replace Sindisiwe Mabaso-Koyana, who will be stepping down given her appointment to the board of MTN Group. But she will remain a director of MTN Zakhele Futhi. Mapongwana’s appointment is effective from 16 September 2020. MTN’s Zakhele-Futhi is a ring-fenced special purpose vehicle aimed at facilitating investment by previously disadvantaged South Africans in MTN Group (MTN). It holds about 77 million shares in MTN, amounting to 4% of MTN’s issued share capital. It also has about 89 000 shareholders…

Rudo wants to disrupt the personal care services industry in South Africa by providing convenience, safety, and opportunities to the beauty market. Inspired by Uber, a leader in online marketplaces disruption, Rudo is one of the latest online platform technologies aiming to disrupt specifically in the fashion beauty care industry. Rudo is an intelligent tool that relieves the burden of booking management to beauty practitioners as well as salons. It is a data-driven tool that markets the right services and products to the right audience. The new app will also enable hyper-personalisation of direct-to-home beauty services. In South Africa, hair salons…

Valenture Institute, a global tech-enabled high school, has secured $7 million (R114 million) investment backed by GSV Ventures. The Institute is a global online high school offering a curriculum recognised by the world’s leading universities. Valenture Institute was founded by South African-born entrepreneur Robert Paddock, who was also co-founder of Getsmarter, a transformative digital education company successfully acquired by Nasdaq-listed 2U in 2017. With the goal of becoming the biggest online high school in the world by 2028, this investment will certainly add fuel to Valenture Institute’s already raging fire. The school was established as a fully-fledged online offering pre-COVID,…

Discovery Bank announced on Wednesday that the number of new clients was 45 916 as of 30 June 2020 versus 197 in 2019, with average customer advances of R20 500. The digital bank said it now has 489 000 as of 13 September 2020 versus 370 000 accounts at end June. The bank, which is powered by the country’s largest medical aid provider Discovery Health, said this performance was pleasing. The year under review represented the first year of the bank’s operation. The bank said that given the onset of COVID-19, it implemented three strategies, namely: Ensuring the successful migration of over 220 000…

TymeBank, a digital bank that is owned by billionaire Patrice Motsepe, announced on Tuesday that its partnership with the Zion Christian Church (ZCC) has been delayed. The bank is targeting 12 million churchgoers of Zion Christian Church (ZCC) as clients. The partnership was announced in February, but the spread of COVID-19 pandemic has delayed its finalisation. For more read: Patrice Motsepe’s TymeBank Targets 12m ZCC Members “The impact of COVID-19 on the bank has resulted in the delay in the roll out of its partnership with the Zion Christian Church (ZCC) as well as a change in its unsecured personal…