Author: Gugu Lourie

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…

Banking group Absa has selected a company insider to be the next chief executive of the South African lender. Arrie Rautenbach, is currently Absa’s Chief Executive: Retail and Business Banking (RBB), the banking group said. Rautenbach will assume his new role immediately. He replaces Jason Quinn, currently Interim Group CEO, who will resume his role as Financial Director of Absa Group and Absa Bank, effective immediately, and remain an Executive Director on the Boards. Jason held this position from August 2016 to April 2021 after replacing Daniel Mminele. Rautenbach joined Absa in 1997 and has held several senior roles over the…

Telkom will continue to pursue its spectrum lawsuit against the country’s communications watchdog, the Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA). “Whilst Telkom has been able to secure the much-needed sub 1 GHz in the spectrum auction, we were constrained in our ability to acquire the amount of spectrum that we need to compete effectively,” the company informed investors today. “To secure its ability to compete effectively in the mobile market, Telkom persists with its court application to ensure that the licensing of spectrum promotes effective competition in the mobile market in line with the objective of the Electronic Communications Act.”…