Author: Gugu Lourie

We are entering a digital, intelligent, and fully connected era where everything will be sensing, connected, and intelligent. As part of its plans to respond to this technological revolution, Huawei wants to make digital services more affordable and equally accessible to all. “Huawei has been creating value for its customers through innovation. We are doing everything we can to bridge the digital divide and meet the world’s needs for connectivity,” Liang Hua, Chairman of Huawei, said. “We want to make digital services more affordable and equally accessible to all, and to do our part in contributing to social and economic…

VC4A is looking for 10 innovative, high-growth scale-ups to showcase at Africa Early Stage Investor Summit on Nov 13-14 in Cape Town. Are you operating in Africa, generating revenue and looking to raise your Series A round in the range of $250 00 and $5 million (R69.6 million)? VC4A is looking for you. The applications are closing on 31 July. The initiative is called ‘VC4A Venture Showcase – Serie A’. This is an exclusive opportunity to introduce your company at once to everyone who’s anyone in Africa’s early-stage investment space. In 2017-2018, VC4A showcased 30 scale-ups from across the continent as…

JSE-listed Blue Label Telecoms has moved to reassure investors about the concerns about Cell’s prospects. Blue Label Telecoms, the biggest shareholder in Cell C, said that no material concerns or issues have been uncovered as a result of Cell C’s new management conducting a deep dive into the business practices of Cell C in a drive for efficiencies. “This is an on-going process and shareholders will be updated as progress is made.” On Wednesday, it emerged that Cell C’s management has finally accepted (publicly) that the company faces financial and other challenges. The struggling mobile phone operator is planning to implement…

The shares of JSE-listed technology group Blue Label Telecoms fell by as much as 15% in early trade on Thursday, as concerns around the latest development in the mobile phone operator Cell C battered sentiment. By 1136 am, Blue Label Telecoms was down 10.3% at R3.50 pushing the company’s market cap to R3.5 billion. The company’s shares have dropped 27% year-to-date and fell 17% in the past 30 days. Blue Label Telecoms owns 15% in Cell C, which has been a drag on its share performance. On Wednesday, it emerged that Cell C’s management has finally accepted (publicly) that the…

JSE-listed pay-TV group Multichoice has appointed Jabu Mabuza and Dr Fatai Adegboyega Sanusi as independent non-executive directors. Their appointment is effective from 5 July. Mabuza was recently appointed as the chairman to the board of Sun International. He was previously the Group CEO and later the Deputy Chairman of Tsogo Sun. He recently retired as chairman of Telkom SA and as president of Business Unity South Africa. Mabuza currently serves as the chairman of various companies including Anheuser – Busch InBev / SAB Miller – Africa, the Casino Association of South Africa and Eskom. Outside South Africa, Jabu has served…

Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula says the government would find a solution to the prolonged e-tolling impasse. Mbalula was addressing the 38th annual Southern African Transport Conference (SATC) in Pretoria. His utterances followed the spat on social media between Gauteng Infrastructure Development and Property Management MEC Tasneem Motara, Premier David Makhura and Finance Minister Tito Mboweni regarding the controversial e-tolls. “The President has established a task team, led by myself, about the options on the table. A report will be tabled before him and from there will be given to the Cabinet,” he explained. “We know that there are robust views…

JSE-listed technology group Datatec has acquired Mars Technologies for an undisclosed amount. The acquisition was facilitated via Logicalis SA, a subsidiary of Datatec. Mars Technologies, an IT services business, has offices in Cape Town, Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth, Durban and East London employing 76 staff. It delivers Managed IT services ranging from the remote monitoring of networks and servers, managed desktop, anti-virus, cloud backup, and printers, to full outsourcing, targeting small and mid-market enterprises. Software solutions and application development complement the services offering. With the acquisition, the Logicalis South African operation strengthens and expands its managed services business in IP telephony,…

PayU, Naspers’ global FinTech company, is expanding into Southeast Asia after it announced a deal to buy a majority stake in Singapore-based Red Dot Payment. PayU has acquired a majority stake in Red Dot Payment in a transaction valuing the company at $65 million (R million). The founder will continue to retain a stake in the company, while the majority of other shareholders will exit. Evolve Capital Asia acted as the exclusive financial adviser to the Founder and selling shareholders. According to one Google-Temasek study, Southeast Asia is one of the fastest growing digital payments markets in the world and is expected…

Naspers has appointed Phuthi Mahanyele-Dabengwa to the global Naspers management team as CEO, South Africa. Mahanyele-Dabengwa to report to Bob van Dijk, Group CEO of Naspers. She will be based in Johannesburg to lead the group’s day-to-day business in South Africa and represent its interests in country. Mahanyele-Dabengwa will also be responsible for Naspers’ recently announced units, Naspers Foundry and Naspers Labs, which are designed to help stimulate the South African tech sector and tackle youth unemployment, respectively. Naspers is one of the foremost investors in the South African technology sector and is committed to building its existing internet and…

A South African cyclist has been cycling from London to Istanbul to raise awareness and funds for autistic and neurodiverse children in South Africa. Grant Cameron-Smith, a South African, has been cycling from London since 18 March 2018. Yesterday, he arrived in Istanbul, Taksim square at 11 am. He is known as the ‘CrazyBikeGuy’ and this is no surprise as he took on his arduous 8,800+ km unsupported, solitary charity mountain-bike ride from London to Istanbul that he started in March 2019. This solo journey has never been done by any cyclist to raise funds and awareness for autism. The…