Author: Gugu Lourie
MTN announced today it has received a final approval licence to operate its mobile money platform in Nigeria, the continent’s biggest market. MTN said in a statement that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has granted final approval for MoMo Payment Service Bank Limited (MoMo PSB) to commence operations. MTN said it was pleased to announce that MTN Nigeria, as promoter of MoMo PSB, has received a letter dated 8 April 2022 from the CBN addressed to MoMo PSB conveying approval for it to commence the operations. The company said this follows the approval in principle for MoMo PSB dated…
The Department of Communications and Digital Technologies plans to reinvest R4.4 billion proceeds of the high-demand spectrum into South Africa’s telecommunications, Minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said yesterday. Ntshavheni made the pronouncement at the Huawei Sub-Saharan Africa Digital Talent Programme Launch and ICT Competition Awards Ceremony in Sandton. The communications and digital technologies minister said the country’s long-overdue high-demand radio frequency spectrum auction had netted the national fiscus R14.4 billion. Ntshavheni said her department negotiated with President Cyril Ramaphosa and Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana to reinvest R4.4 billion in the telecommunications industry. “The eldership [president and finance minister] believed…
Sigma Connected, which offers ‘white label’ customer contact centre services, will set up a state-of-the-art call centre in Cape Flats, Mitchells Plain. The move will see Sigma become the first Global Business Services (GBS) operation in the Western Cape to provide call centre solutions from Mitchells Plain. The company will create up to 1,000 new jobs in local communities. The call centre will support businesses in the telecommunications, retail, insurance, financial services, government and logistics industries. A total of 320 Digicall staff in Johannesburg and Cape Town will also join Sigma Connected South Africa. As a hugely experienced and South African-owned…
Daniel Mminele, a former Absa CEO, was paid R30 million in other payments in 2021 as part of a separation agreement with the banking group. The banking group said other payments included separation payments, contractual notice payments, and leave payments. Mminele’s total fixed remuneration for 2021 stood at R3 million, which consists of R2.9 million basic salary, R51 466 retirement benefits, and R26 247 in other employee benefits. He stepped down as a director on 20 April 2021 and ceased being an employee on 30 April 2021. “The decision by Absa and former Group Chief Executive, Mminele, to part ways in April…
The Democratic Alliance (DA) on Monday said it was going to file a complaint with the Human Rights Commission against the Public Investment Corporation (PIC) for “a racist attack on the appointment of ABSA’s new CEO, Arrie Rautenbach”. “Last week the PIC suggested that Rautenbach is unsuitable to be the CEO of ABSA, not because he lacks expertise and qualifications, but because he is white,” recounted DA Spokesperson Cilliers Brink. “This statement is racist, and its release an abuse of public power. “The Human Rights Commission complaint is an attempt to call the PIC and its management to account.” Brink said the…
SA’s Telviva, the market leader in cloud-based communications for business, has opted to penetrate European markets through a strategic partner-led approach. Telviva, formerly Connection Telecom, is a market leader in cloud-based communications for business. Seamlessly integrating voice, video and chat in one intelligent platform, Telviva allows you to have better quality conversations with customers, suppliers and staff. Telvivas’ CEO David Meintjes said the attendance at the recent Mobile World Congress marked Telviva’s soft launch into Europe, targeting service providers, IT integrators and Cloud PBX players in Europe. “We were well received and activated the first trial customer within two weeks…
Over the past decade, mobile money has expanded from a niche offering in a handful of markets to a mainstream financial service. Mobile money services is moving millions of households in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) from the informal cash economy into a more inclusive digital economy. In 2021, there were more than 1.35 billion registered mobile money accounts worldwide, a tenfold increase from 134 million in 2012. This was revealed in the GSMA’s 10th annual ‘State of the Industry Report on Mobile Money’ published today. “Year-on-year growth in new registrations continues, defying initial expectations that it would taper off,”…
Is the idea of eliminating all animal products from one’s diet about to rapidly become mainstream in South Africa? This article explores if South Africa’s biggest food companies are embracing veganism. People love meat products, dietary change can be challenging, and switching to a vegan diet isn’t always easy given that cultural and socio-economic factors can affect plant-based food accessibility. However, it appears flexitarians, part-time vegetarianism, or veganism, is becoming more and more popular in South Africa. Young South African women – who want a healthy lifestyle – seem to be driving the growth of the vegan movement. Veganism —…
Famous Brands, the owners of Steers, announced today that it has acquired 51% of Lexi’s Healthy Eatery, whose slogan is “Eat more plants”. Lexi’s Healthy Eatery is a mostly vegan, whole-food restaurant. The JSE-listed company said its acquisition of Lexi’s Healthy Eatery is effective 1 April. Lexi’s Healthy Eatery is a casual dining restaurant (CDR) brand, offering a full-service, sit-down, plant-based dining experience across all key day parts: breakfast, lunch and dinner. The acquisition pertains to the franchise and central kitchen operations of the business. The acquisition is aligned with Famous Brands’ three-year strategic roadmap, which includes acquiring brands that…
Hackers stole more than $600 million or R8.7 billion worth of digital ledger used by players of the popular online game Axie Infinity, making it one of the largest thefts ever in the crypto world. Ronin Network revealed in its newsletter that hackers targeting its blockchain netted 173,600 ether and $25.5 million worth of stablecoin. The Ronin bridge and Katana Dex have been halted, said the company, after it was discovered on March 23rd, Sky Mavis’s Ronin validator nodes and Axie DAO validator nodes had been compromised. The attacker used hacked private keys in order to forge fake withdrawals. “We…