Author: Staff Writer
Africa’s leading service provider, MTN, is transforming into a digital platform service operator to deliver exceptional network experience to its subscribers through its long-term vision and strategic network planning. With strong performance in 2020, MTN is the leading NPS contributor in Africa and is currently leading in 14 out of 20 markets it operates in. MTN’s Ambition 2025 strategy highlights its leadership position of leveraging cutting-edge technology solutions to transform its operations, gain new efficiencies and provide a superior customer experience to its subscribers. The initiative was formed for “building the largest and most valuable platform business with a clear…
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced it cleared Pfizer’s antiviral pill, Paxlovid, to treat COVID-19. Paxlovid can be used for the treatment of mild-to-moderate COVID-19 in adults and paediatric patients (12 years of age and older weighing at least 40 kg [88 lbs]) with positive results of direct SARS-CoV-2 viral testing, and who are at high risk for progression to severe COVID-19, including hospitalisation or death. This is the first pill authorised to treat the virus in the midst of infection. “Today’s authorization of Paxlovid represents another tremendous example of how science will help us ultimately defeat this…
The US Army says it is testing a COVID-19 vaccine it believes could work against any and all coronavirus variants, including Omicron. A series of recently published preclinical study results show that the Spike Ferritin Nanoparticle (SpFN) COVID-19 vaccine developed by researchers at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) not only elicits a potent immune response. The jab may also provide broad protection against SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern as well as other coronaviruses. The SpFN nanoparticle vaccine is developed from the ferritin platform. Pre-clinical studies published today in Science Translational Medicine indicate that the SpFN vaccine protects non-human…
LG Electronics’ (LG) new CEO William Cho announced the company’s priorities for 2022, communicating the importance of being even more strategic in the new year to increase customer value and strengthen existing businesses while preparing for all future possibilities. In his end-of-year employee address, CEO Cho also voiced his appreciation to all staff for a successful 2021 that saw much change and growth amidst the challenges of an evolving global market. “We will do what needs to be done to make management more agile and have the courage to implement new ways to meet the demands of a fast-changing business…
Inspiring stories have the power to ignite a flame of hope in our lives that lights up the future. They help us explain our shared experiences of perseverance, triumph and change, and offer meaning and community in darker days. Planned to go into production towards the end of February 2022, Rocket Boy is a story so inspiring it is sure to capture the hearts of the world. Produced by founder, executive producer and owner of Coal Stove Pictures – Wandile Molebatsi – Rocket Boy follows the uniquely African narrative of an exciting young black scientist Siyabulela Xuza who won The…
Professor Herman Singh has been appointed as an independent non-executive director of the African Bank. His appointment was with effect from 21 December 2021. “We are extremely excited about Herman’s appointment as a non-executive director,” said Thabo Dloti, the Chairman of the African Bank Board. “His passion for technology and digital evolution together with his strong business and finance experience will add immense value to the Board and its committees.” Singh holds a Degree in Engineering from the University of Witwatersrand (Wits), a Post Graduate qualification in Industrial Engineering and a Master of Business Administration (MBA). He served as an…
Many of us leave shopping for the last minute during the holiday season, only to find ourselves scrambling around a busy shopping mall panic-buying things we don’t really need. But in today’s digital age, there’s a much more convenient way to cross items off our shopping lists. A 2020 survey by Mastercard revealed that more than half of South Africans are now shopping online, opting for the safety of contactless transactions due to COVID-19. Online shopping has undoubtedly revolutionised the retail sector, allowing consumers to browse a much wider variety of products and services and find exactly what they’re looking…
Captain Fresh, a tech-enabled B2B seafood marketplace, announced today that it has raised $40 million or R842 million in a Series B investment round co-led by Tiger Global and Prosus Ventures. Existing investors Matrix Partners India, Accel India, Ankur Capital, and Incubate Fund have also participated in the round. “For centuries, the fish and seafood industry has stayed the same with very little innovation and we have a unique opportunity to revolutionise the sector utilising technology,” Utham Gowda, Chief Executive Officer and Founder, Captain Fresh. “We are thrilled to have investors like Tiger, Prosus Ventures, Accel and Matrix believe in…
Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, tomorrow will switch off the analogue transmitter in the North-West (NW) Province. The minister and Dr Keabetswe Modimoeng, the chairman of communications regulator ICASA, will travel to Zeerust in North West to oversee the switching off of the last analogue transmitter in the province. The event, taking place at the Zeerust Transmitter Site in the Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality,. The switching off of the last analogue transmitter in the NW Province will make way for the continued implementation of the digital migration process. “We are indeed grateful to be part of…
MTN in partnership with ayoba, Africa’s Super App, has reached an exciting milestone of over 10 million monthly active users. 2021 has been a fast-paced year so far for ayoba, who celebrated its second year in operation in May 2021. The ayoba platform aims to harness growth in the African digital economy by breaking down barriers such as limited access to the internet and digital services, low smartphone penetration, lack of locally relevant content, and affordability. “We celebrate this milestone and are pleased that through ayoba we can provide access to affordable communications, so that millions of people across our…
The first-ever BMW iX, the new technology flagship, is available for sale in South Africa and is retailing from R1.65 million. The BMW iX is a modern Sports Activity Vehicle (SAV) that has been designed from the inside out and redefines the idea of interior spaciousness and luxury. Prices: BMW iX xDrive40 – R1,650,000 BMW iX xDrive50 – R2,175,000 BMW iX prices in South Africa include a complimentary Wallbox charger and installation*, free charging at any BMW-branded charging stations, free insurance for the first year, and a year’s subscription to the Charge Point Operator’s network portal. The BMW iX redefines…
Naspers-backed SweepSouth, Africa’s largest online home services platform, today announced it has bought Egyptian startup Filkhedma, a home services marketplace operating across three cities. Filkhedma services tens of thousands of customers with cleaning, maintenance, and beauty services while empowering over 2 000 service providers through technology with consistent incomes and professional development. “We are thrilled to have Filkhedma as part of the SweepSouth family,” says Aisha Pandor, CEO and Co-founder of SweepSouth. “It’s not only their services that align with ours, but also their values and culture. Just like us, Filkhedma is passionate about providing quality and trusted home services,…
With the rollout of 5G networks rapidly gathering pace, it’s only a matter of time before it plays a role in all our lives, even if we’re not always aware of it. But as is the case with any emerging technology, people have raised concerns about what security implications will come with the adoption of 5G. While awareness of cybersecurity issues is undoubtedly a good thing, it’s also important to be aware of the work being done to ensure that 5G networks are as secure as possible as well as the security benefits that come with the adoption of 5G.…
With the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) already having a profound impact on almost every aspect of our lives, it’s critical that the South African tertiary education sector empower graduates with the skills they need to compete in the new world of work. That importance was underlined at the Huawei South Africa ICT Talent Development Annual Awards, which took place virtually on 10th of December 2021. The awards recognise the top students and instructors from Huawei’s ICT Competition and its ICT Academy. The program is aimed at driving the development of ICT talent for industry development and digital transformation and is…
Huawei South Africa has partnered with the MTN SA Foundation and the Department of Social Development, supporting digital access and ICT skills development for the Letlhakeng Community in the North West Province. The MTN SA Foundation donated a state of the art 20-seater multimedia centre to the Letlhakeng Community Care Centre, inclusive of data connectivity for 24 months and ICT training for staff members. Huawei further supported the centre with up-skilling of 40 young people with ICT, Coding and Robotics training and provided them with Huawei Pads (Tablets). Huawei and MTN also contributed to 200 Christmas food hampers for vulnerable…
Remgro has been approved for a secondary listing on A2X Markets and its shares will be available for trade from 3 January 2022. Remgro will retain its primary listing on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) and its issued share capital will be unaffected by its secondary listing on A2X. Originally established in the 1940s, Remgro is a well-known South African investment holding company with interests in a range of industries, including the healthcare, consumer products, financial services, infrastructure, industrial and media industries. Investments include Mediclinic International plc (44.6%), Rand Merchant Investment Holdings Limited (30.6%), Community Investment Ventures Holdings Proprietary Limited…
The imminent arrival of 2022 will mark the 16th year since the incomplete introduction of number portability in South Africa. The Independent Communications Authority of SA (ICASA) has had a decade and a half, plus one year, to fully implement number portability. Yet, while over one million geographic numbers and eight million mobile numbers have been ported, it remains impossible to port non-geographic numbers used by local businesses, non-profit organisations and consumers for toll-free, shared-cost, premium rate and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services (i.e. numbers starting with 0800, 0860, 0861, 0862 and 087). According to ICASA, the latest delay…
As part of its multi-million Rand investment in agriculture, Microsoft South Africa has selected The Awareness Company as the beneficiary of its AgriTech Programme. The Awareness Company will develop and roll out three high-impact solutions in the agriculture sector within the next year – positively impacting one of the country’s critical sectors, helping to drive growth and job creation. The AgriTech Programme’s main objective is to drive digital transformation in the agriculture sector by collaborating with a technology company that will develop high impact solutions and empower smallholder farmers. South African smallholder farmers face various challenges that prevent them from…
The holidays are nearly here and with them the desire to treat yourself or a loved one to an upgraded phone, just because. The first question you’re likely to ask yourself as you browse new models is “To 5G or not to 5G?” Once you check the Ookla 5G Map to see if your operator has deployed 5G in your area, you’ll probably want to know if the 5G speeds are worth the extra cost. Ookla has analysed Speedtest Intelligence data from the most popular Android and iPhone devices around the world during Q3 2021 to help you see if it’s worth…
Superside, which operates a network of freelance creatives that are tapped by companies to work on logos, display ads, packaging, bigger marketing campaigns and other design-based efforts, has bagged $30 million or R637 million. The Series A funding round co-led by Prosus Ventures and Lugard Road Capital. Prosus Ventures is the venture investing arm of Prosus, which is majority-owned by global consumer internet group Naspers. The funding will help fund Superside to expand in South Africa. Through its unique subscription model, Superside connects companies with a dedicated team of vetted, award-winning designers and project managers to provide quality design work,…
On 1 November this year, South Africa welcomed the introduction of the DebiCheck payment system to tighten measures against debit order fraud and abuse. But as with many new policies and procedures, there has been adoption, but it is far from universal. According to Andrew Springate, CEO of PAYM8, a technology and financial gateway service provider, “A lot of information around why DebiCheck has been introduced has been shared since 2018, but there’s still a great deal to be done by all parties to drive widescale adoption and avoid the inevitable headaches that come with not having DebiCheck in place.”…
There’s nothing quite like a global pandemic with legally enforceable lockdowns to expose the public sector’s dependence on ageing digital infrastructure. While the devastating SolarWinds “sunburst” attack made headlines in 2020 for its impact on private corporations like Cisco and Microsoft, it affected public sector entities like NATO and the UK government, which wield great power and extremely sensitive data. In Africa, there has been a proliferation of cyberattacks on state-owned organisations, such as transport and critical infrastructure, in the past 18 months, indicating the public sector is a lucrative target. Public sector has come under increased threat during the…
Cisco South Africa has this month launched two Cisco Umbrella Secure Internet Gateway (SIG) data centres in Johannesburg and Cape Town, offering local customers closer access to the cloud anytime, anywhere. “South Africa is a key market for Cisco and this level of investment underscores our commitment to the region,” says Garsen Naidu, general manager for Cisco in sub-Saharan Africa. “South Africa is also an important market for Cisco in the country’s goals to service multinational companies (MNCs), due to its unique geographical location, emerging economy and access to the sub-Saharan market. A local data centre in country will provide…
Cassava Technologies, Africa’s first integrated tech company of continental scale, today announced that it has entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Mitsui, one of Japan’s largest global conglomerates. Cassava Technologies and Mitsui share a common vision of facilitating digital transformation across Africa. The partnership will bring together the technology, expertise and networks of both organisations to accelerate that vision. Mitsui has extensive global experience developing, investing in and operating businesses in the digital, infrastructure and energy sectors, and through this partnership, will further expand its business activities in Africa. Mitsui will assist Cassava Technologies by providing access to…
The Shoprite Group has entered into a joint venture with its existing Checkers Sixty60 logistics partner, the RTT Group in which both parties will own 50%. The transaction follows on from the rapid growth of Shoprite’s pioneering on-demand grocery solution Checkers Sixty60 in which RTT On-Demand, a division of the RTT Group, has played a pivotal role in last-mile logistics. The joint venture will advance the technology, learnings and intellectual property created to date as well as enable continued development in the digital and customer experience in line with Shoprite’s ecommerce plans. The transaction, which envisages Shoprite Checkers holding a…